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a. 

TO THE 

AMERICAN INDIAN 



By Mrs. Lucy Thompson 
fChe-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah) 



EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 









'^7 



COPVRHJHT, 1916 



By Mr.-. Liic\ Thonipsoii 
(Che iiawah Weitch ahwah) 



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AUG 25 1916 




In Hit Wi-cklini: Uiffs 



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®0 iJliltott 31. (TbompBau 

iHa hplaur& liusband. tnilb uthnm all nf my marrirb Itfr 
lias bppit ao plrasantly aprnt, 3 briiiratP tbia book. 

iflrs- ICury ahumpaon. 
CChr-ua-iuab Mritrh-ah-uiali. 



fUMMlNS PRIN r SHOP 
Biilinc Building;. Hutekn, Lalilotuia 



CONTENTS 




Chapter Page 

I. General History; Bill McGarvey's Store 11 

II. Creation of the World 55 

III. The Wandering Tribe 59 

IV. Traditions of the Ancient White People '- 64 

V. Ti me and Names — 69 

VI. Death and the Spirit Land 72 

VII. Through the Pearly Gates of Heaven 83 

VIII. Burial Customs 93 

IX. The Indian Devil -.. 97 

X. The White Deer Skin Dance 101 

XI. The Lodge Dance HI 

XII. Our Christ 120 

XIII. The Sampson of the Klamath Indians 124 

XIV. The Deluge of the Klamath Indians 127 

XV. The High Priests 133 

XVI. Laws of the Fish Dam 135 

XVII. The Ancient Houses 138 

XVIII. Wars of the Klamath Indians 142 

XIX. The Marriage Laws 145 

XX. The Two Famous Athletes 153 

XXI. Pec-wan Colonel 162 

XXII. A Narrative of the Humboldt Indians 165 

XXIII. Romance of a Wild Indian 168 

XXIV. The Prophet that Failed 173 

XXV. Teachings of the Klamath Indians on Child Birth 176 

XXVI. The Wild Indian of Pec-wan 178 

XXVII. How the Rich Tried to be a Talth 181 

XXVIII. The Slaves 183 

XXIX. The Wild Indian of Mo-reck 185 

XXX. How a Cor-tep Girl had her Wish Granted 188 

XXXL Our Tobacco 190 

XXXII. Our Mermaids . 192 

XXXIII. Fairy Tales 193 



PREFACE, 



As there has been so much said and written about the 
American Indians, with my trilie, the Klamatli Indians, included, 
by the white people, which is guessed at and not facts, I deem 
it necessary to first tell you who I am, for which i^lease do not 
criticise me as egotistical. 

I am a pure full l)looded Klamath river woman. In our 
tongue we call this great river by the name of Health-kick-wer- 
roy, and I wear the Tat-toos on my chin that has been the 
custom for our women for many generations. I wtis born at Pec- 
wan . village, and of highest birth or what we term under the 
highest laws of marriage. I am known by my people as a 
Talth. My maiden name was Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah. Che- 
na-wah being my given name. My father, being also a Talth, 
took me at a very early age and began training me in all of the 
mysteries and laws of my people. It took me years to leain 
and the ordeal was a hard one. I was made a Talth and given 
the true name of God, the Creator of all things, and taught the 
meaning of every article that is used in oui- festivals, together 
with all the laws governing our people. I can understand every 
word, every nod and gesture made in our language. Therefore I 
feel that I am in a better position than any other person to tell 
the true facts of the religion and the meaning of the many 
things that we used to commemorate the events of the past. In 
this book I will endeavor to tell all in a plain and truthful way 
without the least coloring of the facts, and will add many of 
our fairy tales and mother's stories to their children. I will also 
give the names of many things in my own native tongue. 

Mrs. Lucy Thompson 
(Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah) 
Eureka, California 
June, 1916. 



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TO THE AMERICAN INDIAN. 

CHAPTER I. 
BILL McGARVEY'S STORE. 

THE Old Klamath Bluffs Store, or fort, and in late years 
the Klamath Post Office, was built in 1855 or 1856, by a 
man named Snider. He conducted it as a trading post 
for Indians, soldiers and travelers alike. It was built of rough 
split lumber and strongly made of double walls with sawed 
blocks four inches thick placed between the walls, and was bullet 
proof, with port holes so that a few white men could defend 
themselves against many Indians. This store is located twenty- 
four miles up the river from its mouth, and is about eighteen 
miles down the river from Weitchpec or the junction of the 
Trinity River, and something like forty miles below Orleans Bar 
on the Klamath. Orleans Bar was at one time the County Seat 
of Klamath County. The old store is on the north bank of the 
river on a bar that was formed in ancient times, and is high 
enough to make it safe from all high waters. It is a beautiful, 
sunny spot and on the line of travel up and down the Klamath 
river. 

The north side of the river is mostly prairie along the 
bank, and the old Indian trail is on that side. The whites took 
up the Indian trails and improved them so they were traveled by 
all. This old store is also the central ground for the lower 
Klamath Indians, as here close by is where they held the sacred 
White Deer-Skin Dance, which is a worship to their God. Here 
for ages past have gathered the wealthiest and most prominient 
Indians, both men and women of all the upper and lower Klamath 
tribe, including the, Hoopa, Smith River and our Indians down 
the coast as far as Trinidad. 

White men have visited this famous old store, whose names 
will go down in history, such as General Crook and many other 
army officers, besides many wealthy business men. All of them 
liked to linger in this beautiful spot where the sun shines warm 



12 lui.i, M((;ah\kv's store 

ami tilt' ])l(>asaiit sea l)r(H>z(> tans it all through the suiiuncr inonthK. 
Tlicrc is a trail to this place tVoiii the noiih. Crescent City. Reck- 
woy and olhei' place-. TJiis is not a mining country as there are 
no mines below the mouth of the Trinity, except in the i-iver 
u;i'av(>l or in the low hai's that have heen washed down from tlie 
up]K>r Klamath and Trinity i-ivers where all the rich gold-bearing: 
mining i)lacers are found. These mines were the cause of the 
old store being a central stopping phice for the ni'Mi in the e U'ly 
days, going to and from the mines. In the Fall of 187() I 
counted ui)wards of three thousand Indians there at a White 
Deer-Skin dance. There were five difiercmt languages spoken 
among them, the lowei' Klamath, upper Klamath, Hoopa, Smith 
River and ^lad Ri\'er. Some of them could speak two and 
some thi'ce, while othei's could only speak one. So it can be 
seen that this old Klamath Bluff store or Klamath Post-office as 
it is now called, has been the scene of many and not a few 
nuu'dei's and this store will be mentioned often in my writing. 

In about the year 18(H Snider sold the stock of goods to 
l)ill McGarvey, a jolly Irishman. It was Bill McGarve\' that 
named me Lucy, yet he always called me by my Indian name, 
Che-na-wah. Bill Mc(Jarvey kept in stock i)lenty of wiskey, 
always in the flat pint bottles, which he sold at a dollar a l)ottle 
to the whites and Indians alike. He would only biing out one 
bottle at a time in selling it to the Indians so that any time 
they became (juarrelsome he could t(^ll them that it was all gone. 
Bill McGai'vey had man\- ui)s and downs in the way of his 
ti'tiding there among them and 1 will tell of some of his 
cxpeiiences. 

Three Indians came to the stoi'e one day bringing with 
them a fine looking young Indian girl and want(Ml to borrow 
thirty dollai-s and leave the girl as secui'ity. II(^ talked it ovei- 
for awhile, the Indians saying that they had to have this 
amount to make a .settleuKMit with some other Indians, that they 
would conic back and pay him and lake the girl in thirty- days. 
So he decided to let them have the money without due con- 
sideration of how he would take cai'e of the girl. After they 
were gone he be<iaii to think of the situation that he had placcMl 
himself in, as he was a bachelor. So he made u]) a loom lor 
hei' and when it came to cooking he thought he would have 
her wash the dishes and sweep the house but she would do no 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 13 

house work unless he paid her for it. McGarvey tried to argue 
the case with her and told her that he had to furnish her food 
and cook it, also furnish a room and a bed to sleep in and that 
she ought to clean up the house. She answered by telling him 
that he was doing only what he had to do and that she would 
not work unless he paid her for it. McGarvey had to absolute- 
ly wait on her for the whole thirty days as completely as if she 
had owned him as a slave. She could go and come as she liked, 
always coming back in time so he could not make a complaint, 
telling him that if he said so, she would stay in the house all 
the time. He said that the experience was in after years a 
lesson to him in dealing with the Indians. When the thirty 
days were up they came with the money, paid him and took 
the girl. 

Another time he wanted to get in his winter supplies and 
at that time he got his goods from Crescent City, (Caw-paw) 
and he went to Cortep village which is about six hundred yards 
above the store and on the same side of the river to see if he 
could hire them to go down the Klamath and out to sea to 
Crescent City with theii- canoes, as they had a large new one. 
He hired five of them, all Cortep Indians to go and bring his 
gcjods into the mouth of the liver and store them there until 
they had them all in before the ocean would get too rough, as 
the winter months were coming on. 

Early in the morning the five Indians of the Cortep 
village (this was a town village of the Klamath tribe) started 
down the river and on arriving at the mouth never stopped to 
take a view of the weather, but put out to sea. The ocean was 
very rough, the waves were rolling high, and when they got in- 
to the breakers their boat capsized and all five of them were 
drowned. This brought on serious trouble for Bill McGarvey. 
The relatives of the drowned Indians talked it over for thi-ee or 
four months and then decided to go to McGarvey and demand 
pay, the most of it to be paid in Indian money. McGarvey 
said that after counting it up it would amount in our gold to 
about fifteen hundred dollars. He refused to pay it, telling them 
that he was not responsible for the drowning, that he had only 
hired them to bring in his goods by water, that their getting 
drowned was not his fault and he would not pay. At this they 
went away. 



14 HI 1.1. .M((;ak\i:vs store 

Two oi- thi-cc (lays after, lat(> in the (n-eiiinp; he lieai'd 
siiKllI stoiu'-^ sti-ikiiiii *'!! tlie slicd-coof of the kitchen at the hack 
part of thi' store. He listened, hut heard no more, so he went 
to the dooi- of the kitchen, enclosed with a high, strong i)icket 
f(Mice, and opposite the kitchen door was a gate in this fence, 
and as he looked out of the dooi- there stoo<l a tall, slender fine 
looking Intlian woman, one that had always been a friend of 
McGarvey, and not only to him but to all the whites. This 
woman was my clos(> kindi-ed which gave me the opportunity of 
knowing ii coirecilw She beckoned to McGarvey to come, and 
as he came up to her she told him to make preparations for 
hini.><elf and the other two men that were in the store to defend 
themselves as the Cortej) Indians would be there very early the 
next morning and would kill him unless they could manage to 
hold the Indians off. Then the Indian woman stealthily crept 
away ami back to liei' home while McGarvey and his two 
fi-iends, Jack Paupaw and George A. White began at once to 
])iepare for their defence as well as they could. They got in as 
good a supply of water as they had vessels to hold it in, closed 
the doors and bolted them from the inside and opened the port- 
holes. Under the stoie was a large cellar just on a level with 
the ground from the outside. Sure enough, early the next 
morning there came twenty-five or thirty of them, with their 
faces blackeiKvl \\'ith war paint and j'elling the war-hoop. But 
McGarvey and liis fi-iends were ready to keep tiiem at bay for 
a few hours, until a young Indian that was a great friend of 
the whites and a life-long friend to McGai'vey cam(» and as he 
walked uj) to the door of the store he asked to be let in. They 
opened the door and let him in. This Indian, named So-pin-itts 
(Solomon), livcjd close by and is yet living. After he was in the 
store awhile he went out and talked it over with the Indians 
and callecl a stop till the next day, during which time McCJaivey 
tried to make a settlement with them; and finally by telling 
them that it was too much money, that he never kei)t so much 
jiioney in the store and that the only way hi; could pay that 
amount was to send to ( 'I'cscent City and get his friends there 
to help him. I'iiially the Indians consented to this and all of 
them went home. McGarvey wrote a letter to his friends in 
( 'icscent City asking them to help him, telling them of the sit- 
uation he was in and asked theiii to intercede in his b(>half or 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 15 

the three of them would be killed by the Indians. He also 
wrote a letter to the Government officer in command of the 
Smith River Indian Reservation, telling him of his predicament 
and asking him to send a squad of soldiers to his assistance, antl 
then dispatched the letters by an Indian in post haste. The 
Indian not knowing the contents of the letters went with all 
speed to deliver them to the friend of McGarvey at Crescent 
City. The friend, after reading them, also made haste to deliver 
the one to the commanding officer, while the officer in turn 
arranged to send ten soldiers with an officer to the McGarvey 
store. They arrived at the store on the morning of the fifth 
day after the truce had been given. At daylight the soldiers 
came down the hill to the north of the store, whooping and 
yelling at the top of their voices, after a long and tedious march 
of almost day and night over rough mountain trails, up hill and 
down, through brush and timber with only part of the distance 
in the open ground, traveling for about fifty hours. 

On the arrival of the soldiers the Indians were dismayed, 
knowing that they had been out-generaled and that McGarvey 
had sent for the soldiers instead of sending for the money to 
pay them, and had done it by sending one of their own men to 
deliver the message. At this turn of affairs the Indians quieted 
down and abided their time, as they never get in a hurry to 
make a settlement. 

After the soldiers had been there for a few days they le- 
ceived orders to remain until further notice. It was then that 
McGarvey hired some men to build an addition to the store. 
This was erected at the west end of the store, about twelve feet 
wide and eighteen feet long and eight feet high to the eaves. 
It stood out over a steep bank of a small creek that comes 
down close to the west end of the store. This made comfortable 
quarters for the soldiers where they would be sheltered from 
the hot rays of the summer heat and the rains of the 
winter months, also privacy from the prying eyes of the in- 
quisitive Indians. Here the soldiers remained for about eight 
months, having all sorts of a jolly time, as Bill McGarvey had 
plenty of whiskey to supply their thirst at a dollar a bottle 
after each pay day. McGarvey on some occasions would take 
quite freely of the whiskey himself, becoming intoxicated and 
boisterous. On these occasions his friend Solomon, the Indian, 



1(1 HI LI. .McCAin l•:^ s store 

would .uo into the stoic and keep him slraiglit, locking the doors 
and Icttinji' no onr in. 

Jack Paupaw and (U'orgc White went to their own lioines. 
Jack Paupaw was a blacksmith hy trade and was working in 
Crescent City. He was an old ]Mon(HM- of ( "i-escent City and the 
Klamath river. He returned to Cn^sent City while \Miite went 
up the river to a place known as Big Par. thus heaving Mc- 
Carvey with the soldiers, as everything was n(»w (piiet. Things 
proceeded smothly while the soldiers were there and all thought 
that tlie trouble was forgiven and forgotten and the soldiers were 
oi'dered back to their connnaiid. 

But the Indians of the Cort(>]) village began to scheme 
for anothei- plan for revenge of theii' lost relatives, but gave 
up McC.arvey and chose this lime a man by the name of 
iiryson who was the superintendent of the Klamath Bluffs Mine, 
situated only about two hundred yards up the river from the 
store. Bryson liad a minei-'s cabin which he lived in whiU> 
working at the mines, up from the i-iver out of the way of high 
water. The mine was down close to the river. He was coming 
up the trail to his cabin for dinner just about twelve o'clock 
when one of the Cortep Indians shot him down in his tracks 
with one of the old muzzle loading rifles: this Indian was named 
Lotch-kum. Then all the Indians left for the timber to get out 
of the way of the whites and friendly Indians. This started the 
row going again and AIcGarvey barricaded his store until the 
friendly Indians came to his assistance. The fiist family to 
come was Weitch-ah-wah (my father) and his br(,ther (my uncle). 

At that time they were camped at the mouth of Tec-tah 
creek, some four miles down the liver from the stoi'e, and as 
.soon as they heard of the killing of Br>son they started for 
their home at the Pec-wan village about one mile above the 
store and on going home went by the store and stopped to learn 
the j)articulai-s of the killing. Mc( larvey made ai langemeni - 
with Wai'rots (my uncle) to go up the river and give notice to 
the whites, T. M. Brown, the Sheriff of Klamath County. 
and to the soldieis stationed at Camj) Caston in Hoopa \'all(\\-, 
some twelve miles up the Tiinity I'iver from its junction with 
the Klamath. .Vfler Wai'i-ots had ileli\('rrd the message at a.ll 

points he stealthily returned to his home at Pec-wan in the night 
so the other Indians would not find out he was on this (M'rand 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 17 

against them. On the day following Warrot's return, the Sheriff 
and other white men came among them. George A. White, who 
was a cripple as has before been stated, started to walk on the 
front porch of the store when some of the angry Indians said to 
him, Melasses White you can't fight, you are crippled ( Melasses 
was his Indian name). 

White went back into the store and got one of the first 
makes of Henry rifles. (The one Warrots had let McGarvey 
have to defend himself with, andwas the one my brother had brought 
from Oregon while he was up there with the white men and was 
the only one to be found on the Klamath of the kind and make 
at that time) As soon as the Cortep Indians saw the rifle they 
knew at once that Warrots had given it to the whites to shoot 
them with and it caused them to swear vengeance against Warrots 
and his brother. Upon further inquiry they also found out that 
Warrots had been up to Hoopa and told of the killing of Bryson. 
T. M. Brown having been the Sheriff of Klamath County a 
number of years and also a pioneer of the Klamath river was 
quite well acquainted with the habits and customs of the 
Klamath river Indians and he counseled whith the friendly 
Indians and agreed to pay them for their sevices if they would 
l)ring in the guilty Indian Lotch-kum dead or alive. So War- 
rots set out to find Lotch-kum and kept watching different 
places to find where he was hiding. The country being heavily 
timbered Lotch-kum kept out of sight for nearly a year 
but at last Warrots found where he was hiding in a creek some 
eight miles down the river from the store and about one mile up 
the creek fi'om the river in the heavy redwood timber, in a large 
pile of drift logs. He first heard Lotch-kum's little fist dog bark 
and on watching patiently for awhile saw Lotch-kum come out. 
At this he went back to his home in the Pec-wan village, then 
visited with the Ser-e-goin village and told them that he had 
found the hiding place of Lotch-kum. When they got ready 
three of them, the other two being from the Ser-e-goin village, 
Monmonth Jack and Marechus Charley, with Warrots leading 
the way arrived close to Lotch-kum's hiding place. They com- 
menced to keep a close lookout for him, as they could see his 
tracks in the soft dirt and sand in the bed of the creek; and had 
to keep up the watch for about ten days. Finally they saw him 
come ci'eeping out to the creek where he began to bathe himself. 



18 HILL M((iAR\EV'8 STORE 

Warrots rniscnl liis rit'lc to his sliouldcr, took aim and fired, 
("barley aiul Jack fiiiiip; next. Lotcli-knni fell to the jiTound hut 
kei)t raisiii<i up and fallin<>; down a^ain. tryinj^ to fijet away, when 
tlie three of them ran up to him as fast as they eould, di'ew 
their lonji heavy knives and severed his head, put it in a saek 
and carried it hack to the old ston^ in triumph. Inside they 

rolled it out on the counter, wliieh satisfied the whites for the 
killin<i of Hi-yson. Bryson was huricMl in a pretty spot a little 
northeast of the store, with hardly a mark to show the place 
where he was to sleep, and all settled down to peace and quiet- 
ness afiain between the Indians and the whites. But the Pec- 
wan Indians were divided between the Indians and the whites, 
sonH> of them were friendly to the whites while others took sides 
with the Cortep Indians. Warrots was a Pec-wan Indian and 
full brothcM- to Weitch-ah-wah. The Sheriff and Government 
officers gave to the three Indians who had killed Lotch-kum, 
lett(M's of very high recommendations for their services and to the 
good graces of all the wliites. (I have seen these letters with 
the signatures many times in my girl-hood days.) 

Now the Cortep village and part of the P(H'-wan village 
l)egan to make plans to kill Warrots, and as he was considered 
to be a good and faithful fricMid of the w'hites by these Indians, 
it nuist l)e done in a way so as to deceive the whites anci not 
to let them know it was being done as a revenge for the part 
he had taken in killing Lotch-kum. So they bided their time 
waiting for a good chance, but all the time Warrots was 
hearing of their schemes thi'ough his friends and he went to the 
Sheriff and (^lovernment officers and told them that Loch-kum's 
friends wer(> j)lanning to kill him and all of them jjromised him 
that no one would be allowed to harm him. Sheriff Brown sent 
him word to meet him at Trinidad as Trinidad was at that time 
in Klamath County. Warrots came and laid the facts before 
him and the Sheriff promised him i)rotection and Warrots went 
back home. After about three weeks his brother Weitch-ah-wah 
and all the family except myself (I was about eight years of age) 
went away thereby Warrots' enemies got their chanc(» to carry 
out their plans. lOarly in the morning Wan-ots went down to 
the creek which was only a short distance, to bathe and there 
he met a little l)ov, the son of Pec-wan Ma-hatch-us. He spoke 
to tlie boy, bathed in the crc^ek and went back up to the house, 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 19 

when he saw another Indian coming up the river trail from the 
Cortep village, and as he passed the boy Warrots saw him stop, 
talk to the boy and give him a piece of bread which he ate. 
The boy then came up to the Pec-wan village while the Indian, 
who was from the Cortep village, kept on up the river. As the 
l)oy got to his house he became ill and in about thirty minutes 
<lied. Evidently the Indian had given him a piece of poisoned 
bread which had killed him. They gave no attention to the one 
that gave the bread but instead laid all the blame on Warrots 
for the death of the boy and as soon as the ceremony and burial 
was over they pounced upon Warrots and shot him at the door 
of his sweat-house, killing him. The next day Warrots was laid 
to rest in the grave-yard of his own folks in Pec-wan village. 
None of the whites ever made any attempt to punish any of the 
Indians or stop them from killing him. This is the reward he 
received for l)eing a faithful friend to the whites in times of need. 
His brother with his family was forced to leave their 
home in Pec- wan village and move to Ser-c-goin village, where 
lived the friends and helpers of Warrots, Mermis Jack and 
Ser-e-goin Charley. After living there for awhile we moved up 
to Hoopa so as to get farther aw'ay from our enemies and where 
we could" have a better chance for protection. I took a position 
with the Agent which they said I filled with credit to myself 
and satisfaction to them. Mermis Jack and Ser-e-goin Charley 
lived for many years but were never friendly with the friends 
of Lotch-kum. Mermis Jp,ck finally died suddenly and in a 
manner that pointed strongly that he was given poison in his 
food. Ser-e-goin Charley died a natural death in 1886. 

In 1876 Bill McGarvey died in the old store that went by 
his name so long. He had not been feeling well for some time. 
In the large room at the west end of the store building he had 
a large stone fire-place, put in many years before and he used 
this room as his bed-room and also a sitting room. In this room 
he was taking his bath in a tub when he fell over dead in front 
of the fire-place. The same evening his Indian lady friend died 
in her home which was just a short distance from the store. 
McGarvey had outside shutters to his windows which fastened 
from the inside and these he had fastened, and in the morning 
as he did not open the store, his Indian friend Solomon waited 
until late in the morning for the opening of the store, when he 



20 liILL McGARVES STORE 

became suspicious of all not being right. He pried open the 
shutter of the window on the south side of the store which would 
give him a view of everything in the room where McGarvey 
slept, and there before the large stone fire-ph'ce lay McGarvey 
cold in death and beside him was the tub in which he was 
taking liis l)ath. When the Indians heard of his death they all 
said Bill IVIcGarve}' and Mollie have both gone over to the 
other side togetlier. (Mollie was closely related to all my folks) 
Bill McGarvey was laid to rest by the side of Bryson, on the 
flat above the store, and the store passed into the luunls of 
James McGarvey, a brother of Bill. James McGarvey made the 
claim that he was the only living brother which was afterwards 
said to be false, yet he got the store and ran it for several 
years. He kept whiskey and sold it to the Indians and the whites 
The Indians would get drunk and have fights and kill each othei- 
until he finally got mixed up with them by having a row over 
one Indian finding a pistol in the trail that belonged to a white 
man by name of Jim Douglas. McGarvey thought he would 
make the Indian give up the pistol in short order and he went 
into the Wah-tec village which is situated but a shoit distance from 
the store and as he got within a few yards of Ray-no, the 
Indian, he drew his pistol and commenced to shoot at him. 
McGarvey's shots went wild and the Indian drew his pistol and 
shot McGarvey, striking him in the back on the left side, just 
missing the back-bone and went clean through the body on the 
striffin of his stomach and he fell to the ground. The white 
men went to his assistance and can-ied him to the store and the 
Indians that were in the row left and went up the river to other 
villages with the pistol in their possession. This raised quite 
a furo of excitement and the whites were counseled with by the 
Indians that were friendly to both sides and they were asked to 
bring back the ones that were in the shooting of McGarvey and 
to l)ring back the pistol to the rightful owner. The next day 
they came back and returned the pistol to James Douglas and 
he gave them five dollars to be given to the one that found it. 
In some three weeks Jim McGarvey was up and walking aiound 
and in a short time went to Orleans Bar, where there was a 
Justice of the Peace and tried to swear out a warrant for the 
arrest of the Indian but the warrant was refused l)y the Justice 
who told him that he had commenced the row liim.self by shoot- 



BILL McGARVEY^S STORE 21 

ing first, while intoxicated. Several years before this, Klamiith 
County was taken off the map by being absorbed into Humboldt 
and Del Norte Counties, leaving this old Klamath Bluffs store u\ 
Humlxjldt County. 

Jim McGarvey was selling whiskey to the Indians and 
•causing sG much trouble among them that it caused a number 
•of killing scrapes. After this trouble was settled and Jim 
McGarvey got well of his wounds, he sold the store to Peter 
Kane and moved down the Klamath River to within about three 
miles of the mouth of the river and settled at the mouth of a 
^mall creek close to the bank of the river, taking with him all 
of his ill gotten gains and his beautiful little Indian woman thai 
had lived with him for years and to whom he had never been 
married by any hiw. She was neat and tidy and a good cook 
but McGarvey got mad at her for crying over the death of her mother 
and struck her on the back of her head. From this she Ixigan 
to lose her mind and he finally abandoned her and she became 
a raving maniac and died, leaving no children. Her body was 
taken back up to her birth-place and laid to rest with her kin 
in the family grave-yard, while Jim McGarvey lived on his 
place for a few years and then died. 

Peter Kane now had the store and he also kept whiskey 
and a rough house. He would sell whiskey to the Indians and 
get drunk him-^elf, having trouble all around. He said one fall 
that he had two five gallon kegs of whiskey and that the Indians 
close around there had four hundred dollars and that he would 
get it all out of them for the two kt^gs of whiskey. His selling 
to them was the cause of four of them getting killed, Peter 
Kane had an Indian woman belonging to Redwood creek. She 
spoke the Hoopa tongue and bore him three children. One day 
one of the little girls about seven months old was crying and 
Kane grabbed hei- roughly by and neck, held her out, shook her 
at the same time, he walked out through the kitchen and threw 
the child flat on the ground with its face down, then turned 
and walked l)ack into and store cursing the child and its mother. 
The next morning the mother got her things together and started 
for her home on Redwood creek. Arriving at the Klamath river 
which she had to cross she proceeded to cross over with' her 
children and had almost reached the other side before Kane found 
that she was leaving. As soon as he discovered that she was 



22 lULL M((;ah\i:v's store 

Iciivinji;. As soon as lie discovered that she was fi'oin.u; lie lan 
into tlu' stoic, fiialilicd liis i-it'lc and i-an down the liaid^ to the 
water's edji'e and he^an firinji. He fired several sliots at iier, tlit^ 
huUets strikinii; close by l)Ut failed to sti'ike her. She went to 
her home in the ni<i;ht, sonie tw(>nty miles away, over a i'ou»ih 
mountain tiail and through heavy timber most of the wa>'. 
She never came hack. The Indians pr(>ventinf>; him from 
f()llowin<;- her that nij^ht was all that kei)t him fiom killing; her. 
It got too warm for him and he sold the store to C. H. Jolmson 
and afterwards went to the Indian woman on Redwood creek 
and remaiiied there with her. This brute took the same little 
girl by her legs and dashed her brains out against a larg(> red- 
wood post, so every one said. The woman again had to flee for 
her life. She left for Hoopa Valley, where she could get some 
prot(H'tion and Kane did not dare to follow her there. He 
drifted down on the coast and lived for a number of years but 
finally took sick and died in the County Hospital. The woman 
he had lived with and bore him children remained at Hoopa and 
raised the other childicMi. Can you expect children, born to such 
fathers under such conditions to grow up to l)e good and respect- 
able men and women ? Many of them are a cnnlit to their 
Indian mothers while those who have good r(>spe('table fathers 
and are born under wed-lock, having a birth that they can be 
proud of, over the average, make the be.st of men and women. 

I have strenuously fought the whiskey traffic carried on by 
the unprincipaled white men for years and did all that I could 
to stop it, and made bitter enemies in doing so. Yet it is going 
on just the same under the very eyes of some of those who are 
employed by the U, S. Govcrment to i)ut it down. U looks 
as if they were paid to keep their eyes closed and n(jt s(>e it. 

When C. H. .Johnson took over the store he cleaned it up 
and built an addition to it and put in a lai-ge stock of pi'ovisions. 
made friends with the Intlians and did not keep any into.xicating 
liquors and he allowed no one to drink aiound the store. He 
gave the Indians good advice so that all looked up to him as a 
friend among them and he never meddled witli any of their wives 
but treated them with respect, .so that all could come and go. 
trade and chat with perfect ea.se and freetlom. Many of them 
would lay their troubles bc^fore him and hv would listi>n patiently 
and always try to give them good advice and keep down ti'ouble 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE. 23 

among them as far as it was in his power to do so. Mr. John- 
son kept this store for over twenty-five years and the Indians 
never at any time made a threat against him or offered to harm 
him in any way. He began with the help of the settlers and 
succeeded in getting the government to establish a post office at 
the store and which he named Klamath Post office, while he 
was the Postmaster. He ran the Post office with the store 
and made a good official, striving at all times to do what he could 
for the patrons of the office. It was very few times that any 
complaint was made for mislaying mail. He ran the Post office 
for about twenty-two years and dming this time many of the 
Indians sent letters and received others and he used to read their 
letters for them and did much of their correspondence for them. 
He kept the office until he died. Mr. Johnson used to keep 
quite a stock of patent medicines and acted as doctor to the 
Indians if any of them were sick, often going to see them and 
give them medicine if he thought by doing so he could cure them. 
In serious cases he would advise them to go to a white doctor 
which they would sometimes do. 

As Mr. Johnson never kept any whiskey, being opposed to 
selling it to the Indians, his neighbors now took advantage of 
the whiskey business and began to get it in quantities and sell it 
to the Indians and mixed })loods which still kept the quarrels 
going. It looks as if it will still continue so to the end. It is a 
well known fact that Mr. Johnson made money at the store and 
when he became sick he was attended by white men until he 
died. It was said that no money was found above a small sum. 
The stock of goods was run down until there was but little left. 
The reader can guess how this happened as Mr. Johnson never 
made a failure and always paid for his goods, his credit being 
good for whatever he orderd. He was the father of one daughter, 
her mother being a Klamath Indian woman. This daughter he 
always claimed as his child and made arrangements for her to 
have all he posessed at his death, but she will never get but 
little. He was buried upon the flat beside the grave of Mr. 
Bryson in a deplorable manner. 

A man by the name of Oscar Chapman, after the lapse of 
several weeks was sent up to take charge of the store until the 
estate could be settled. The Post office was moved from the 
store and Chapman continued to run the store about one year 



24 



HILL McCARVEY^S STORE 



and kept wiuskcy to st'll and fan gambling, tables in the storev 
He nietldled with the women, both married and single for whicb 
iu> was shot dead in ambush. The ('oroner was sent ii)) from 
Areata to take charge of the body and brought it down tf)* 
Areata for buriaL 




BILL .M((;arvi:v's store 



'I'licii a man named William Lawson was seiU up there to 
take cliarge of the store and remaincnl a few months and would 
not stay any longei-. The order was given to liim to sell all ho 
could and box uj) the' remaindei- and take what was left down to 



BILL McGARVEY'S STORE 25 

the mouth of the Klamath by boat an<l store it there for safe 
keeping until some future time. Thus, the old store at Klamath 
Bluffs is dismantled and now stands there unoccupied. 

After the death of Mr. Johnson the Government put two 
lady matrons on the Klamath river to look after the interests of 
the Indians. They at once began to look after this store and 
made reports against it. The order came that no one could buy 
it or start it up as a trading-post without first giving a bond in 
the sum of ten thousand dollars, yet it had been run by different 
men, sold a number of times and none had ever given any 
bonds for over fifty years. 

Around this store there are many tales woven, and I will 
tell quite a number of them, using this place as a center to start 
with, ns this is where the lower Klamath Indians have their 
White Deer-skin dance and a short distance above the store is 
where one of their sacred lodges is located. They have the true 
n; me of God which is used in the lodge only in a low whisper, 
and outside of the lodge when three or four of them are out in 
a secret place, and then only in a whisper when they are burn- 
ing certain roots and herbs that give sweet and pleasant odors 
to their God. While the festival is being held all difficulties are 
settled. Those of lower birth at the present time are pre- 
tending to carry out the worship, but for the past few years 
have made a sorry affair of it. 

MARRIAGE 

In the high marriage of the Talth the woman is most 
beautifully dressed on her wedding day. A buckskin dress all 
strung with beads and shells that clink and rattle with her 
ever graceful step. Her hair is parted in the middle, brought 
down on each side and rolled with the skin of the otter. This 
skin is nicely dressed or tanned and then cut into about one 
inch strips, thus holding the hair so it hangs down to their hips 
or lower, according to its lenght. Around her neck are strings 
of most beautifully arranged beads and of high value among 
them; they hang down to her waist, almost completely covering 
her chest. A buck skin, dsessed and made as white as it can 
be made, goes over the shoulders and fastens around the neck 
and hangs down covering the l)ack. This makes her very 



2() GENERAL HISTORY 

l)eautiful. She is so quick in mov<^ment that one has to kee]) 
tlicii- eyes on her closely to see all of her actions, while she 
sp(>aks low and softly. These liish nian-ia^es are ver\ few and 
this beautiful sij^ht of the bride is seldom seen. The girls born 
of these niarriajies were always looked up to l)y the Indians. 
When the.-(> v.h-\< r:\mv alons or were met by any children of 
other l)irths, the latter would always get out of the trail and let 
them i)ass. 

The Klamath Indians never had a chief like the other 
large tribes but were luled by these men and women of such 
liirths that l)ec:nne members of the order. 

Another system is the 'half married" one, the woman 
taking her husi)and to her house to live with her. By this 
marriage she is the absolute boss of the man and has complete 
control of all tlu> children. She has the power to correct her 
husband in all his actions and can send him out to hunt, fish or 
work just as she deems proper, he being a slave to her, as they 
usually both l)elong to the class that are slaves. It amuses one 
to hear them use the term against white men that marry white 
women, the man having no home of his own, and the woman 
taking him to liei- home. They say that w^hite man is half 
mari-ied just the same as our people are half married and that 
the white man can not walk out at any time as he is not l)oss 
for the woman owns everything. They have a third form of 
marriage that belongs to the middle chiss. These marriages are 
consitlered by the whole tribe as good marriages and the children 
born by these marriages have a good standing in all walks of life. 
The marriage is performed by a i)art barter and trade, such as 
giving in exchange a boat or fishing place or any other property 
of a |)ersonal nature. This ceremony is more of the common 
than the imposing way. Since the coming of the white man he 
has brought this marriage around to a simple form of buying 
out-right by giving a ])rice as one would for a horse, cow or any 
othei- purchase. The old Indian law was an exchange of valuable 
articles and often the woman did not go to the man sh(> manied 
and live with him in his own home until they had been married 
one, two or three yeai's. 

The Klamath Indians were, at the coming of the white 
man, a v(>ry large tribe, there being several thousand of them. 
It taxed everv resoui'ce of the country in which th(>y lived for 



GENERAL HISTORY 27 

all of them to obtain a subsistance, therefore everything was 
owned in the same way that it is now owned by the white man. 
The land was divided up by the boundaries of the creeks, ridges 
and the river. All open prairies for gathering grass seeds, such 
as Indian wheat, which looks similar to rye, besides other kinds 
of seed; the oak timber for gttheiing acorns, the sugar pine for 
gathering pine nuts, the hazel flats for gathering hazel nuts and 
the fishing places for catching salmon. 

The most frugal and saving of the families had become 
the owners of these places and their ownership undisputed and 
these ownerships were handed down from one generation to 
another by will. In time this left a great many of them owning 
no property by which they could make a living and many of 
their own people became slaves to the wealthy class. They made 
the slaves work and kept them from starving, and by this there 
came about the "half married" system. There are some of these 
Indians that were born slaves living yet, and they are the ones 
that are always ready to tell the- white man all of the Indian 
legends in a way to fit their own cases. They cannot tell the 
true legends at all, as they ai'e ignorant of such facts. The 
wealthy ones would see that the men got wives and that the girls 
got husbands, build them houses and some families were very 
kind to their slaves. When the}- were sick they saw that they 
had doctors and the proper care. Some families were mean and 
over-bearing to their slaves, giving no care to the sick, letting 
them die and going so far as to throw them into a hole, leaving 
them there to suffer and starve until they died. This sort of 
treatment was looked down upon by the ones that had bettei- 
humane feelings and they sometimes prevented such inhuman 
actions. The most of the doctors are women and they exercised 
great power, especially those who had a high standing as to 
family, and the art of curing most all diseases or cases of sick- 
ness. A few of the doctors were men and they used roots and 
herbs of different kinds and they are hard to beat as doctors in 
a great many kinds of sickness. They can cure the bite of a 
rattle snake, not one of them ever dying from the bite. I knew 
many of the people that were bitten by the rattle snake at dif- 
ferent times and they were cured and lived to be very old. For 
this cure they use salt water out of the ocean and the root or 
the onion of what you call kelp and which is taken out of the 



28 GENERAL HISTORY 

ocean. Tli('>' |)()Uiul the onion of tlic kelp and make a poultice 
out of it, place it over the wound and keep it wet with the salt 
water, at the same time letting the patient drink all he can of 
the salt water. The patient is kept perfectly still and not alow- 
ed to move about more than is necessarj'. They bind the limb 
or place where the part is bitten to prevent the fiee circulation 
of the blood through these parts. 

In other things they are ecjually as good. In child birth 
they prei)are a woman for giving birth to her child and at the 
birth of the child they have an old woman to take care of the 
mother and child. After the birth of the child the cord is cut 
and tied, then they take the black part of a large snail, which 
has an oily substance, and place it over the navel. They put 
a bandage around the child which is kept there for some time. 
I have never known an Indian of the old tribe to be ruptured 
and yet they do not know anything about surgery. If anything 
of a serious nature happens to a woman during child-birth they 
are at a loss to know what to do to save her. If the woman 
gives birth to twins and they are a boy and girl, they try to raise 
them both, but if it be two boys or girls they pick one of them 
and raise it while the other one is neglected and starved to death, 
and when it tlied they went through all the forms of sorrow by 
crying and mourning over the loss of the child just the same as if 
they tried to raise it. If anything happens to the mother that 
causes her death at child-birth or after and the child is yet an 
infant, they take sugar-pine nuts or hazel nuts and pound them 
into fine flower and mix this in warm water, making a milky sub- 
stance out of it. They can raise a child on this preparation as 
well as if it was nursed at the mother's breast. Every family- in 
the olden times was vei\v careful to keep a good supply of 
pine and hazel nuts on hand. 

The Indians were presevers of the sugar-pine timber which 
grew on the high ranges of mountains on the north side of the 
river and there was a very heavy fine and also death to the 
Indian that willfully destroyed any of this timber. The sugar 
from these trees was also used by them as a medicine in differ- 
ent cases of sickness. The salt water mussels that they gather 
which cling to the rocks close to the sea-shoi'e, is an article of 
food for them and they gather and eat them while fresh by boil- 
ing them. They also dry them and take them up the river to 



GENERAL HISTORY 29 

their homes for winter use. In the month of August and a part 
of September these mussels become poisoned, in some years worse 
than in others, with phosphorus. Sometimes whole families 
would get poisoned by eating them out of season and in this 
case they use the sugar which is taken from the sugar-pine tree 
and which is a sure cure if taken in time. This made the Indian 
prize the sugar-pine tree very highly and putting to death even 
a member of their own tribe who harmed a tree in any way. 

In the early days when a white man arrived among the 
Indians, he took an Indian woman, and in the fall of the year she 
would want to gather some pine nuts, the white man would go 
with her, taking his axe, and cut down the tree, as he could not 
climl) it, and told the woman there they are, what are you going 
to do about it ? At first the woman complained and finally said 
that the white man would spoil everything. Then the Indians 
began to cut the trees. In the last few years these trees have 
become very valuable in the eyes of the white man, and it has 
become the complaint of the white man that the Indians ought 
to be arrested and punished. Some of them have gone so far as 
to say that the Indians ought to be shot for cutting down this 
fine timber for the nuts. I leave the reader to decide which one 
ought to be punished for the cutting of the great number of 
these fine sugar-pine trees. 

The Indians also took the greatest of care of the hazel nut 
flats as the nuts are used in many ways. The nuts were gather- 
ed and stored, away as they could be kept for a long time and 
could be pounded into flour, put into warm water and made a 
good substitute for milk which could be used for weak, sickly 
children, also in some cases for sick persons that needed nourish- 
ment and had weak stomachs. The hazel is used in all of their 
basket making, as the frame of all the baskets are made of the 
hazel sticks. In taking care of the hazel flats they got out in 
the dry Summer or early in the fall months and burn the hazel 
l)rush, then the next spring the young shoots started up from 
the old roots. On the following Spring in the month of May, 
when the sap rises and the shoots start to grow, the women go 
forth and gather these young shoots which are from one to two 
feet in lenght. Some of these sticks grow up to a height of three 
feet and are gathered for making the large baskets and nlso the 
wood baskets. They gather these sticks by the thousands and 



30 GENERAL HISTORY 

take tluMii lionu" where the woincn, childi'di anil tiicii all join in 
pcclini;- the hark off th(> sticks. They take u]) a handful in the 
right haiul, then place the Initt end of one of them in their 
mouth taking hold of it with their teeth and the left hand, giv- 
ing it a twist so as to peel the bark around the end, and as they 
get the hark st: rted they give the stick one ([uick jeik and the 
bark peels off at on(> effort. Aftei- they are peeled they are laid 
out in the sun, on a smooth i)lace, in thin layers anil allowed to 
bleach and dry and when they are dried they gather them u|) 
and assort them out according to their size and length, and tie 
the different sizes in l)undles and lay them away for use, some- 
times three or four years hiter, bef(jre they are made up into 
baskets. The small sticks are used for making up the very fine 
baskets. The read(>i' can easily see by this why the hazel was 
preserved and not desti-oyed as it had a great value to them in 
many ways. They made withes of it for tying their boats and 
other things. The oak timber they were very careful to preserve 
as they gathei-cMJ the acorns from it late in the fall, October and 
Novcml)er. The oak tree furnished them with the staff of life, 
as it was from the acorn they made all their bread and mush 
and this bi-ead they could take for use on long journeys on their 
hunting trips. They would wrap up a large lump of dough and 
placing it in a cool place, keep it for several days before it 
would begin to xpoW or sour. From this dough they made their 
nmsh by taking a piece about the size of a tea cup and put it 
into one of the baskets, fill it nearly full with water, then take 
some wash stones taken from the river or creek and put them 
in the fire until the\' were lujt and often red-hot when they 
would take two sticks and lift them out, drop them into the 
basket and stir the whole briskly with a paddle, made for this 
purpose, they would soon have it boiling and by putting in tin- 
other stone and with a little more stiiing they would soon have 
the basket of nuish cooked. They call this mush Ka-go and it 
is very mitiitious ami gives great power of endurance. After the 
basket of mush lias been set aside for thirty or forty minutes it 
is then dipped out imto small baskets made for the purpose and 
of size to fit the stomach. One person serves, handing out 
the mush t(jgether with a piece of dry salmon or venison or dif- 
ferent things that may be i)repared for eating. The acorn 
fui-nishes the bread to all the Klamath river Indians. 



GENERAL HISTORY 31 

All the oak timber was owned by the well-to-do families 
and was^ divided off by lines and boundaries as carefully as 
the whites have got it surveyed today. It can easily be seen 
by this that the Indians have carefully preserved the oak timber 
and have never at any time destroyed it. 

The Douglas fir timber they say has always encroached 
on the open prairies and crowded out the other timber, therefore 
they have continuously burned it and have done all they could 
to keep it from covering all the open lands. Our legends tell 
when they arrived in the Klamath river country that there were 
thousands of jKres of prairie lands and with all the burning that 
they could do the countrj^ has been growing up to timber more 
and more. 

The redwood timber they use for making their canoes and 
building their houses. In making a canoe they took a redwood 
log in length and size to suit the canoe they wanted to make, 
and spUt the log in half, shaping the bottom of the canoe first, 
then turning it over and chipping off the top until they get it 
down to the light place when they would start shaping the 
guprds; after this they dug out the inside, leaving it a certain 
thickness and this they gauged by placing one hand outside and 
the other inside, moving both hands slowly along — rand it is sur- 
prising how even the thickness is in all parts. They cut out the 
seat in the stern with a place to put each foot on the side in 
front of the seat so one can brace himself while paddling it with 
a long and narrow paddle, pointed at the end, so they can 
))addle or push the canoe with it. They are certainly expert in 
the Klamath river with a canoe, either the men or women. They 
have no keel on their canoes, just a round smooth bottom, with 
a rounded l)ow and stern. A large hazel withe is put through 
holes in the corners of the bow and drawn very tight across it 
so as to keep the canoe from splitting in case it strikes the 
I'ocks very hard, which often happens, as they grind upon the 
rocks in the rough places in the river. These canoes will carry 
heavy loads, much larger than they would seem to carry; some- 
times from forty to one hundred and fifty sacks of flour at a 
load. In making a canoe, the Indians always leave in the 
bottom and some two feet back from the front or bow, a knob 
some three inches across and about two inches hight, with a 
hole about one inch deep dug into it, and this they call the 



32 GENERAL HISTORY 

the heart of tlic canoe and without tliis the eanoe would l)e 
dead. When I was a ><)ung woman no Indian would use a 
canoe unless it had the heart left in it to make it alive, as it 
was not safe to use if not thus fixed, something after the fash- 
ion or notion of the sailors as to a vc^ssel being chi'istened. The 
redwood canoes arc IxMng used for a distance of one hundred 
miles up the Khiinath liver but the redwood is used only for a 
distance of about thirt>' miles up the river, for houses, after this 
distance they use red fii- for houses. The redwood is a soft, easy 
timber for woiking and not susccptal^le to being sun cracked and 
is an ideal wood for making a canoe. After they have finished 
making the canoe they take the shavings and some dry brush 
and l)urn it l)oth inside and outside and then brush off the diy 
parts which leaves it vei-y light and dry. After using the canoe 
for a few days and if any light cracks start in it they take it 
out, dr>' it perfectly' and go ovei' it with pitch taken from the 
fir tree. In doing ihis they first put the pitch on the ci'acks 
then put hot j-ocks on the i)itch which melts it and it fills up 
the cracks. After this ti'eatnKMit the canoe will last for years. 

Their tools for working timber were very crude and they 
ha<l to work v(M-y slow. For axes and wedges they used the elk 
hoin. They would cut the horn to the length preferred with flint 
and then use a granite rock where the quartz would adhere to it 
making it very rough, and with this they would whet the horn 
into shape. After this they put grease on them and lay th(>m 
up so that the fire would tlry the grease into them, until it be- 
came veiy tough and could be used for years before wearing out. 
For their malls or hanuners the took a granite rock and by 
pecking on it, could work it down to about one foot in length, 
then work it down so that at one end it would l)e about four 
inches across the face of it and the other end about two inches 
across it, while in the middle they would bring it to about one 
inch, making it so one could hold it with ease, using the lai'ge 
end for the mall i)art. With the.se crude tools they cut trees, 
made their canoes and houses, by the aid of the fire to helj) in 
many ways. Th<>y could split up a log into slabs and get some 
nice looking lumber, only I'ough and of different thickness and in 
this way they could build a very warm and comfortable house. 
In building a house they leveled off a piece of ground from 
thirty to forty feet scpiare, then beginning in the center of the 



GENERAL HISTORY 33 

s(iuare they dug down about five feet and from twelve to twent}' 
feet across, surrounding this part they dug a trench two feet 
deep and in this they set the slabs or boards up endwise, being 
careful to put thick ones at each of the four corners with holes 
burned through the top ends. These boards were about eight feet 
long, which would leave them about six feet above the ground 
on two sides. To this they tied with hazel withes a heavy pole 
of the same size across the two gabel ends on the same level of 
the side poles. They tamped the ground in tightly 
around these boards the same on all sides. At one corner of the 
gable end they had a very wide plank about four feet in width 
and about four inches thick; they cut out a hole in this plank 
about two feet across and around this they put in al)out two 
feet from the corner setting it down in the trench, tramping it 
very solid, for the door. Then they put across the top from 
four to six very heavy poles for rafters, the two top poles being 
only about three feet apart, with one a little lower than the 
other so as to give it a slope for the water to run off when it 
rained. Then they tied all this with hazel withes until the 
whole thing is fastened solidly together and after this part is 
finished they put on the roof, using the same heavy slabs which 
are about eight feet long, doubling them so as to make it rain 
proof while the center part or comb of the roof is short slabs 
about four feet long and in the center they leave a large wide 
plank, so they can raise it to a slanting position so as to keep 
the rain out and at the same time let the smoke out. After the 
roof planks are all placed they put the large poles across the 
top, over the joints and tie them down to the ones under with 
the hazel withes, making it all quite substantial as to strength. 
Then they make a hole in the center of the basement about one 
foot deep and side this up with stones to fit for a fire-place, 
making it very smooth, then put gravel in the bottom of the 
fire-place to the thickness of four inches in depth. They then- 
put a plank wall all the way around the house or basement part 
holding them firmly to their place, after the fashion of the white 
man's wainscoting. After this they take a good quality of clay, 
wet it with water until they get it to suit and plaster it over 
the floor of the basement, tramping it until they get it plastered 
over about four inches thick, while it is drying they keep very close 
watch of it, and where it starts to crack they go over it with 



34 GENERAL HISTORY 

moic clay, filling- in tlio ci'acks. They keep the cracks filled un- 
til the floor becomes very (lr\- and hard and this makes a very 
smooth floor. Th(\v smooth off the upper- floor which is irregular 
in shape and ])lace a slab or post at the foui' places which 
come opposite^ the corners of the house, back about one foot from 
the wall and under one of tlie rafter poles, so as to give support 
to the raftei's. Then they put in an inside partition in front of 
the door, letting this come back some ten feet on each side of 
the door. r(>aching up to the roof and an inside door, which is 
like the white man's door. This is a place fixed in all the houses 
for keeping their winter's wood in while the rest of the place is 
for storing away their provisions for the winter months, such as 
dried salmon, eels, acorns and the other kinds of food which they 
store in large baskets, some of these baskets are large enough for 
a man to lie down in. Some of the girls make their beds in this 
upper i)art of the house for the summer months. In a house 
where there is a large family this upper part of the house is well 
filled with baskets holding the different articles of food stuffs, 
some of which have been stored there for a number of years. 
They have shutters to both the outside and inside doors and the 
roof projects well out all around the house, which makes the 
house warm in the winter time and cool in the summer. Going- 
down into the basement they take a log about one foot through 
and cut the right length, cut notches in it for foot-steps and set 
it in i)laee and the little Indian children can go up and down 
this like squirrels witli less accidents tlian the whites have on 
their stairs. The whole family eats in the basement and all the 
cooking is done there and at night things are cleared away and 
all the women and girls sleep in this basement, while the men 
and boys all go to the sweat-houses to sleep. Outside in front 
of the door they make a sort of porch, the floor of which is 
made of smooth rocks, thus completeing the house. In going- 
through the doors they have to stoop very low and almost in a 
crawling position and raise straight up on entering the inside. 
The inner door is liigh and they can stand up on going through 
it. The doors in most cas(>s face toward the river. On(> of these 
houses will stand for fifty years and with some repairing will 
stand a great while. There were from ten to forty of thes(» 
houses in a village and the villages were from one half to three 
miles apai't, some on one side and some on the other side of the 



GENERAL HISTORY 35 

river. Generally there was a sweat-house to each dwelling but 
sometimes there was only one sweat-house for two houses. The 
men and boys visited from one sweat-house to another for a 
social time and to remain over night. The Indians that travelled 
up and down the river used to stop with old friends or relatives 
and would get in the sweat-house, exchange news and smoke 
their pipes until a late hour in the night. There is no law for- 
bidding the women from sleeping in a sweat-house, but the men say 
the women have to many fleas on them and the women say the 
men talk to much, so the women let the men sweep, get the 
wood and make their own fires in the sweat-houses. Sometimes 
an Indian will take his wife or favorite daughter to the sweat- 
house to sleep if the weather is cold but the women prefer to 
sleep in the dwelling houses as they are very comfortable there 
and can be kept very warm with a small fire. The women 
make a sort of matress of the tules that grow in the swamps. 
They gather this tule, let it dry and bleach it, then take strings 
of tlieir own make and commencing in the middle of the string 
they lay one of the stalks of the tule and plat them closely to- 
gether. They weave the tules close together, putting about six 
strings in a mat about three or four feet wide and have the mat 
five or six feet in length, sometimes making them three and four 
thicknesses which they can fold up and put out of the way in 
the (lay-time and take out and unfold at night. These mats are 
quite comfortable to sleep on. The old women sleep on the 
basement floors while the young girls sleep on the upper floors 
in the warm months and on the lower floors, with the old 
women during the cold months. My people were in the habit of 
eating l)ut two meals a day, the first meal or breakfast came 
about eleven o'clock and in the evening, after dark the women 
Ijrepare the s'upper, the menu differing according to the season 
of the year. 

As soon as it begins to get cold the men would go out 
and get large loads of small limbs and brush, tie it up in a 
bundle which they placed on their backs and held with both 
hands and as they came in they sang a song for luck in what- 
ever they might wish for, such as making money, good health and 
many other things. With this wood they make a fire in the 
sweat-house and the smoke coming out of the crevices would 
make it look as if the house was afire for a short time, when 



36 GENERAL HISTORY 

the wood would burn down to a bed of coals and the smoke all 
disa])peai'ed and then the men and l)oys would stri]) and creep 
into them, one at a tinu^ and in about thirty or forty minutes 
would all come crawling out of the small round door, steamin*;- 
and cov(Med with prespiration, weak and limp, appearing as if 
they could haidly stand up. After crawling out they lay flat on 
the stone platfoi'm that is fixed for the purpose and sing the 
same songs, only at this time in a more doleful way. They lay 
in this way for thirty or forty minutes, then get up and still 
looking weak stai't off down to the bank of the i-iver, one at a 
time, and plung(> into the cold water and swim and splash for a 
time, then all go back to the dwelling house and go in where 
the women folks are preparing the evening meal, take their seats 
around the basement floor, out of the way of the wonen while 
they are cooking, and all \\ill join in laughing and talking until 
the evening meal is over. Then the men and boys go l):u'k to 
the sweat-house for the night and prepare for a big smoke, all 
laughing and talking about different topics and telling amusing 
tales. Some of the older ones would discuss points on Indian 
law, others tell how things are changing, how this and that us(hI 
to be and is different now, how they fought the other tiibes, 
when they were victoiious and when they were defeated, praising 
one that was the leader or contleming another, one that was a 
good general and many other things, and some were very in- 
t(!resting talkers. They talked until they were ready to go to 
sleep for the night and then they would place the wooden pillows 
under their heads. Some of them would not use any kind of 
covering and would be almost naketl, as the sweat-houses would 
keep very warm for at least twelve hours after a big fire had 
been built in them. Early in tlie morning they would come out 
and each take his own wtiy for the day, such as hunting, trapj)- 
ing, fishing or getting something that might be needed for the 
family. The old men dressed deer-skins, many of which the hair 
was left (jn and these were for the women to use as blaidvcts 
and for shawl-like coats which they wear, for moccasins 
(noch-i) they take a dressed deer-skin and smoke it and then 
make it up into moccasins. They make dres,ses and many other 
things out of skins. Others would dress furs wiiich tliey use in 
many ways. They use the Fi-sher skin for (]uivers to carry 
ai'rows in, also the young Panthei' skin. The fresh water Otter 



GENERAL HISTORY 37 

they dress very nicely for the women to tie their hair with. 
Some would make mawls and wedges for future use and others 
were making bows and arrows, while a few would give directions 
to the others. The women went about their work such as pound- 
ing acorns, soaking the flour and preparing it to make bread or 
mush, some cutting fresh salmon and preparing it for cooking, 
others go out after wood for their part of the living and cooking 
quarters an<l others made baskets for cooking purposes. Some 
made hats and baskets they used for storing away food, while 
others made fine dresses for wearing and anything that was to 
be done, but few of them being idle, unless it was some of the 
old women that were very weathy. ^ The Klamath people have 
the same kind of tobacco that grows over a large part of the 
United States, which, when it grows up has small leaves. They 
prepare the ground and plant the seed but will not use any they 
find growing out of cultivation. They are very careful in gather- 
ing the plant and cure it by the fire, or in the hot sun, then 
pulverize it very fine, then put it up in tight baskets for use. 
It becomes very strong and often makes the oldest smokers sick, 
which they pass over lightly, saying that it is a good quality of- 
tobacco. The women doctors all smoke but the other women 
never do. Their pipes are made out of yew wood with a soap- 
stone for a bowl, the wood is a straight piece and is from three 
to six inches long and is larger at the bowl end where it joins 
on to the stone, it is notched in so it sets the bowl on the wood, 
making the pipe straight. They hold the pipe upwards if sitting 
or standing and it is only when lying on the back that one seems 
to enjoy the smoke with perfect ease, however they can handle 
the pipe to take a smoke in any position. Some of these pipes 
are small, not holding any more than a thimble-full of tobacco. 
My people never let the tobacco habit get the better of them as 
they can go all day without smoking or quit smoking for several 
days at a time and never complain in the least. The men, after 
supper, on going into the sweat-house take their pipes and smoke 
and some take two or three smokes before they go to bed. The 
old women doctors will smoke through the day and alwaj^s take 
a smoke before lying down to sleep. All inhale the smoke, letting 
it pass out of the lungs through the nose. 

Women doctors are made and educated, which come" 
about in a very peculiar way. They are usually from the daughter 



38 GENERAL HISTORY 

of wealthy families. Most of them besin quite young, and often 
the (lot-tor will take one of her daughters that she selects, along 
with her and l)egin by teaeiiing her to smoke and help her in 
hei- attendance on tiie sick, and at the right time will commence 
witii Iier at the sweat-house; while others \\ill have a dream that 
they are doctois and then the word will be given out, and in 
either case along in the lat<^ fall all will be made ready, the day- 
being set. The sweat-house (which is the white man's name and 
does not have the same meaning in our language, we call it I'l- 
girk) ix'ing selected they take her to it, dressed with a heavy 
skirt that comes down to her ankles and which is made of the 
innei' I)ark of the maple, with her arms and l)reast bare. 
They all go into the sweat-house, thei-e being from fifteen to 
twenty men and women in number, she having a brother or 
cousin, sometimes two, that look after her. All begin to sing 
songs that are used for the occasion, dance jumping up and down, 
going slowly ai'ound the fire and to the right, they keep this np 
until she is wet with perspiration as wet as the w^ater could make 
her and when she gets so tired that she can stand up no longer 
one of her l)rothers or cousins take her on his back with her 
arms around his neck and keep her going until she is completely 
exhausted, then th(>y take her out and into the house. There 
she is bathed in wai-ni water and then allowed to sleep as long 
as she wishes, which icvives her and gives her back her strength. 
On awakening sh(> appears rested and vigorous, with a beautiful 
complexion. She can now eat her meal such as is allowed her. 
While she is ti'aining for a doctor she is not allowed to di'ink 
any water oi' eat any fresh salmon, all the water she gets is in 
the acorn nuish or in the manzanita berry, pounded to a flour 
and then mixed with water, made into a sort of mush and 
warmed. They are allowed to eat all other kinds of food. These 
dances are kept up at intervals all through the wintei- months 
until late in the 8i)ring, when they will take her far l)ack on the 
high mountains and keep her there all through the Sunnner, 
never allowing her to drink water, only as mixed with nnish, nor 
eat any fresh salmon. In the fall they bring her back home to 
the river when she will go through the same performance in the 
sweat-iiousc. Soindinies siie will l)(^ from three to ten years be- 
foi-e being rcad.N' for the final graduation exercises when she will 
be taken back to some almost inaccessible place on a high peak 



GENERAL HISTORY 39 

or on a very high rock where they will smoke, pray and fast for 
from three to five days. While at this place none eat or drink 
and on leaving it the pipes are left secreted so as to be found 
on the next visit. On this trip there will not be more than three 
or four with her and always one of them is an old doctor so as 
to care for her, and on coming back, after they get down the 
hill part way to a suitable place they make a stop and all eat 
and take a rest. The young doctor bathes herself, loosens her 
hair and washes it, then dries it and combs it with a bone knife. 
These knives of deer bone, about the size of a table knife 
and have a hole bored through the handle and a string tied 
through it and fastens around the wrist, and in carrying it the 
point of the blade is up and lays against the arm so that a per- 
.son would hardly know that she carried it. This comb is beauti- 
fully carved and checkei'ed with black stripes. She gently strokes 
the hair with it until it is dry, then she thrusts the point 
through it, close to the head, gently pressing the blade down 
through it, she keeps the coml) in motion until the hair is per- 
fectly straight and glossy and then she parts the hair in the 
middle of the fore-head, then takes stripes of Otter skin and ties 
it up, letting it hang down on each side of the head and in front 
of each shoulder. This girl is a virgin, as perfect in statue and 
active in movement and health as God can make her. She can 
hear hardships and punishment without complaint or murmur, 
that would make a bear whine. After all have rested they start 
for home which will perhaps take them two or three days 
to reach and all the time her health is looked after to see that 
she is in good spirits and does not become wearied, and on ar- 
riving home she is allowed to rest for two, three or four weeks 
when all is made ready to give her the final degree. This time 
preparing one of the large living houses for the purpose, by tak- 
ing off a part of the roof and fixing it so that all can come and 
get a chance to see the whole performance. The time is set and 
word is sent all up and down the river and at the appointed 
time they will be there, some coming for many miles to see and 
take part in giving the young doctor her final degree. At sun 
down the fire is made in the center of the living room and at 
the commencement of the hour of darkness she is brought in, 
goes through the door and down into the basement, takes her 
place, when the others that are to help her take their places, 



40 GENERAL HISTORY 

forming a ciiclc around {\\v Vuv and all start singing in a low 
and nionitonious voice, junii)ing up and down, the young doctor 
taking care of heiself at first and taking instructions from the 
old doctor who sits close b}- but takes no part other than to in- 
struct her. After keeping this uj) for from two to four hours the 
young doctor becomes very warm and fatigued and they keep 
close watch of her until the time comes, when one of the men 
takes hold of her and holds her up and helps her to stand, still 
wearing her down until two men take hold of her by each arm 
and in this way keep her dancing until she is helpless and so 
limp that she can no longer go on. Then they lay her up and 
out of the way, still keeping on with the ceremony until dayliglit 
in the morning, when all repair to their places to sleep for a few 
hours, then arise, go forth, bathe and eat and go back to their 
homes. The young doctor does not always go through this or- 
deal and come out safely, as sometimes she became so warm 
that she would never recover from the effects of the severe pun- 
ishment, but this seldom happens. After going through this .she 
is pronounced a doctor and can begin practiceing her profession. 
She is now allowed to get married if she so desires and the most 
of them do and raise large families and live to be very old. 
They wield a big influence among the tribe if they are success- 
ful as doctors and some of them are very successful as doctors 
while others are of the ordinary class. These women doctors are 
seers, as when they are called to doctor the sick they claim to 
tell what is the cause of the sickness and what will cure it. They 
suck the body where the pain is located and sing in a sort of 
chanting way for awhile, then suck the body again and keep this 
up for four or six hours, if it is a serious case there will be two 
doctors and sometimes three and in this case they will 
not agree as to the cause, if the patient gets well there will be 
one of them that gets the credit for the greater part of it and 
sometimes all of it. When there is a case of sickness, the rela- 
tives of the sick one decides on the doctor, and the amount of 
money or other valuables, or all valuables just as they may, 
go to the doctor and laj-ing it before her at which she will accept 
or refuse the offer, but if it is satisfactory she will prepare to go 
with them and if it is rejected she will demand more and somtv 
times she will call for some valuable relic which she knows the 
famil}^ has in their possession, sometime^^ an article that has in 



GENEBAL HISTOBY 41 

years gone by been in the doctors own family, and she will strive 
to get it back again. If the sick one should die while she is try- 
ing to get more the}' will make her pay to them all that they 
have laid down to her, but if she accepts the money and goes 
and the patient dies, then they make her return all that was 
given to her. If there was two or three doctors then they all 
have to return all that was given to them and then they will 
debate among themselves as to which one of the doctors is the 
best. Some of the doctors were very successful and hardly ever 
lost a patient, and accumulated great wealth, owning the best 
fishing places and large tracts of land where they could gather 
acorns, hazel nuts and grass seeds, besides many slaves. They 
were great talkers and alwaj's had a read\' answer to every 
question and were almost habitual smokers, using a large pipe 
and smoking often. They had a wonderfull constitution. To 
give an idea of the power of one of these most successful doctors 
I will give a sketch of one and her methods. This doctor was 
})orn at Cortep village and of a wealthy' family who had been 
for many generations back. • She married a man that was born 
at Pec-wan village, also of a wealthy family and would l)e called 
after mari'iage in the Indian tongue as Peck-wish-on, but not in 
this case as she was called by the tribes as Caw. She became 
famous among her people and would come out of her house and 
sit on the porch of the stone platform in front of her door, take 
off her cap, sti-oke her hair down over her face and eyes and sit 
this way for hours at a time, and all, young and old, woukl be- 
come afraid of her and saj-; l6ok at Caw, she will make some 
one sick, and there would be such a dread of her that there was 
sure to be some one sick in two or three days, then they would 
say that Caw made them sick, and if they could get her to 
doctor the sick one she would cure the sick one as she seldom 
ever failed to cm-e any of her cases. She doctored and took all 
the wealth of her mother and father into her own hands besides 
all that her brothers and sisters and other relatives had, for 
doctoring them. She lived to be quite old and had raised a 
family of boys and girls. She had lots of slaves, land and fishing 
places and money. Her son was the richest Indian in the whole 
tribe and was known as Pec-wan Colonel. I knew a girl that 
this doctor took for a doctor bill and who was to be the wife of 
one of her grand sons. But as the grandson and girl grew up to 



42 GEXEKAL HISTORY 

he of ni;iriia<>;('al)l(' a^c hv did not want her for his wife and tlie 
money was icturned. which freed lier and she married another 
man. one of choice. These doctors nevei' act in cas(>s of cliild- 
l)irth, nor do they ever attend or have any part in tiies(^ cases. 
An old woman that is always very pleasant takes these cases, 
taking charge of the woman that is about to become a mothei- 
and prepares her for the ta.sk of giving l)irth. She has a medi- 
cine which she prepares and gives to the woman which does not 
fail to do its work in a very short time. This is the pitch or 
gum of the fii' tree, that has by fires or otherwise dropjxnl into 
the waters of the creeks or streams and hiid in the watcM- for a 
long time which makes it \-cry brittle and hard. They take a 
piece of this and after pounding it until it becomes as fine as 
flom- put it into a cui) of water and let the patient drink, whicli 
in most cases brings her out in good condition. This is not the 
only remedy they have for they have many for use in the diffen- 
(Mit condition of the patient; the baby is also cared for by these 
women. They wash the child and dress it in soft furs, such as 
rabbit skins or other soft kinds of fur. They now pound hazel 
nuts into flour, ]iut it into warm water wich makes a kind of 
milk and then feed it to the child, they also take milk from the 
mother's breast and give to the baby, they do not let the bab\' 
nurse at the mother's breast until after the first ten days, at 
which time the child is allowed to do so until time to wean it. 
The baby is provided with a Ijasket made for th(> {purpose and 
the child is placed in this in a sitting position, it has a strap 
fastened in the back so that the mother can swing it across her 
back, set it up against the wall or lay it down flat just as she 
may choose. The bal)y if in health will dodle its feet and laugh 
when any one takes notice of it. The l)aby baskets are changed 
in size as the baby grows older and larger, the older baskets are 
burned. These granny women are called Na-gaw-ah-clan. The 
Klamath Indians have men doctors and they use many kinds of 
roots, herbs and some minerals, and when it comes to wounds, 
bites of poisonous reptiles, chronic deseases, wouumi are ailing 
with such desease as falling of the womb and many oth(M' kinds 
of sickness, they are called in rich families, and they too are 
paid in jidvance and if they fail to cure they have to return the 
money or if they refuse to come and the patient dies they have 
to make good all that was offered them. These men tloctors 



GENERAL HISTORY 43 

hand down their secrets of the different kinds of medicines they 
use and for what each kind is used, to their sons or close rela- 
tives, and before one begins to pratice he goes back on the 
mountains to some distant and secluded place where there is a 
large rock or high peak, where he can look over the whole sur- 
rounding country all alone. There he prays to his God for health, 
strength and success. He does not drink water or eat and pun- 
ishes himself as much as he can and stands up under the strain, 
he is gone from eight to twelve days and on his return he bathes 
himself, rests and sleeps, smokes his pipe for three or four weeks 
and then is ready to take up the calling of the doctor and will 
go with the old doctors for quite awhile so as to make sure that 
he makes no mistake in handling the cases nor in the uses of 
the different kinds of medicine to be used for different cases or 
ciiseases. These men doctors are called Pe-girk-ka-gay, the 
women doctors being called Kay-gay. Alost of the men doctors 
are of the higest birth and are often members of the highest 
families and are aften members of the secret lodge. - It is only 
them that stop the women doctors and make them many of their 
accusations or retract their sayings, thus keeping them in bounds 
of reason, though they are very linenant with them and often let 
them go too far before they stop them. These men doctors help 
to start and to make the settlements for the white Deer-skin 
dance, and this is the time when all troubles between individuals, 
clans and villages are settled, so the whole tribe is in peace. If 
any of them are not willing to settle their dffficulties they are 
strictly forbidden to attend the worship, and if they should at- 
tend they would loose the respect of the whole tribe, besides 
they would be dealt with harshly. So in case there be some 
that cannot make a settlement it is best for them to remain 
away for this is a time and place where all is free and the best 
of good cheer and behavior must prevail. The White Deer-skin 
Dance they hold everj' two years unless something of a serious 
nature happens and which sometimes did happen and so crippled 
the people that they could not hold them for a number of years, 
such as contagious deseases or other calamities. In years that 
everything was all right these men doctors would get together 
about the last of July or the first of August and have a talk 
and settle the question and give out the announcement that they 



44 GENERAL HISTORV 

wcfc jioiiiti to have (ht^ Deer-skin Daiu'e (Oh-pure-ah-wah), The 
won.l would 1)(' sem- out to all the Indians up and down the vivei-, 
to the Hoopa and Snn'th i-ivei- huh'ans and dowii the coast as far 
as Trini<iad. and any and all of them of the other tribes could 
come and see t.!i<" dance and none of them would ever i)e molest- 
ed. Xow they would l)egin to settle all of their quarrels- among; 
themselves l)y })ayinji;, this was done by arlntration in most of 
the cases, as they would seUx't the ones that were friends to» 
both sides t)f the ones in dispute. They would argue the case 
and bring them to a settlement if possible, and if they could not 
mak(> a settlement the>' could not come to see the dance. This' 
way things would move along and all kinds of saying;-- would be 
learned and disputed as those that had no authority would l)e- 
guessing and oft<m times give out something, as coming front 
some of th(^ head men. All would l)elieve it to be true until it 
got far enough when the head ones woukl pronounce it as not 
authoi'itive and the false siiying>s w'ould stop. Another false story 
would take its place and this would go on vnitil about the middle 
of August when the Talte w^ould get together and set the time 
for the dance to start. They always put in the fish dam first- 
it being a part of this great festival. 

The one that handles the putting in of the fish d;im is 
known as Lock, and the fish dain is called La-og-gen. Lock 
selects one other of the high priests and one girl of ecjual 
high ])irth and the Ihiee go to a secluded place out on a higk 
mountain from which place they can have a good view of the 
surrounding covnitr>- ami th(M-e the girl makes a small fire and is 
give)i instructions of how and what to do. The other man is 
also directed what to do. Lock um-olls his eml)lenis, which is 
a closely woven scroll that is al)solutely w'ater proof and takes 
from it the roots that he burns slowly over the fire that the 
maidian keeps burning. Thes(^ roots are burned as an incense 
and have a sw(hH odor as they burn, and while they are b\n'n- 
ing Lock prays and sing's to (! xl lo give him health and powei- 
to cai-ry through all the hardsliip> of putting in the dam. They 
I'emain here for two days and nights, then go back down the 
I'ivei- to where the fish dam is to be ])laced. There they land 
with theii' boat antl stop at a very large lock wliich is close- up 
to the water's edge, and a laige ci(<'k of clear puic water which 
enters into the riv(}r just at and a little below this large rock. 



GENERAL HISTORY 45 

In the middle of the might the maiden gets wood and starts a 
small fire and fixes things for Lock and his helper This girl is 
a virgin of purity. She goes across the river and bathes herself 
and dresses her hair, using her Indian knife like a comb, which 
she carries fastened to her wrist, until her hair is dry and glossy, 
then she lets it hang loose, wearing a band around her head 
made of beads which keeps the hair from falling over her face, 
just coming to the jaw, and if at any time the hair comes over 
her face she strokes it back with her Indian comb, but she never 
touchss her hair with her hands. After she has bathed and 
dressed she goes to the lodge and lies down and sleeps until late 
in the morning when Lock and his helper come to the lodge and 
lie down and sleep until late in the morning when Lock-nee and 
his helper come to the lodge, when the three of them all take a 
bath, and then eat for the first time since they started. None 
of them are allowed any water and will not be allowed to drink 
any for mony days yet. Some of these people would start in 
looking fine and when they came out they would often look like 
a walking skeleton, they would soon regain their flesh although 
sometimes they never would regain their normal condition. 
These three keep themselves secluded and no one has seen or 
heard of them, but all are anxiously waiting to hear the word. 
After they have had their meal. Lock and his helper go back 
across to the large rock, then Lock unrolls his scroll, burns some 
more incense and gives his order to his helper to go out to all 
the villages and call on as many to come forward and help to 
put in the fish dam as is needed, and this is the time for them 
to appear before Lock. Sometimes there will be from one hun- 
dred to two hundred young men, no old or sickly ones are 
wanted. After they all appear before Lock, he assigns to each 
lot of eight or ten of them, the part and amount that they are 
to do. After this they go home, fix up their provisions and 
camp outfit and in about thirty hours time the river bars in 
and around this place are alive with Indians, and the air is filled 
with merriment and jokes. 

Early in the morning they all start out without eating, 
and cut the small pines that are from two to three inches 
through at the butt ends. Some will make a fire, and as the 
others are cutting and packing in they will take the green pine 
poles and run them through the fire until they are scorched 



4b' GENERAL HISTORY 

then take them out and the bark is peeled off easily. While 
they are yet hot they split each oiu^ in two and four pieces, then 
others get ioiiji; hazel withes and run them through tJK' fii'e and 
while they are hot split them in two pieces, then they take them 
and the pine i)ie( cs and plat them together like mats, leaving; 
the pine sticks about one and two inches apart, these mats when 
set upon end are aliout nine fe(^t long, w'ith five or six hazel 
withes about fourteen inches apart. After they get a mat put 
together they roll it up, making each mat so that one man can. 
pack it on his shoulder and at a given time they all carry them 
down to the river to the i)lace where the fish dam is to be put 
in. Others get the posts which are about eleven feet long and 
fi\-e or six inches through, they are all sharpened at one end and. 
made very smooth, all the bark being taken off. Some get the 
long pole-beams or girders which are from twenty to twenty-four 
feet long and about sLx or seven inches through with the bark 
taken off. The girl that carries the true name of God is, during 
the -day, in the lodge or house that is used only on these occa- 
sions. This house was kept in good condition at all times but 
no one lives in it, except on these occasions, also the sweat-house 
that Lock sleeps in while this work is going on. In the evening, 
about dusk, after all the workers have retired for the day, she 
quiet 1\' goes out and crosses the vWow as Lock's helper- at this. 
time is watching for her and takes the canoe over to take her 
where Lock is concealed imder the larg(^ rock close to the bank 
of the live)-, and she gathers a ([uantity of dry wood by which 
Lock keeps a small fire burning all through the day and on 
which he burns incense. Lock keeps out of sight of all the 
workers as they do not want to see him and avoid doing so. 
Lock gives orders to his helper, directing him so that he can 
deliver the orders to the different companies of workei-s. This 
helper is one that has the tiirth but has not the secret of the 
true name of God. Lock gives him all the orders in a low 
whisiK'r, and this helpei- is called Lock-ee. 

.\s soon as the girl vshom tli(>y call Xormer, ha< finished, 
the three cross the I'iver to the south side and after lauding they 
all bathe, there jjcing a secluded placi' close by where the girl 
takes her !)athe and when they have finished they proceed to 
the Lah-wah-alth or house where Lock's wife and his helper's 



GENERAL HISTORY 47 

wife axe preparing the only meal that they eat every twenty-four 
hours. After the meal is finished Lock and his helper go to the 
sweat-house for the night in which a fire has been started by an 
old man who was selected to get the wood and thus the 
place was warm for the night. Lock and his helper take a 
smoke and then retire. Very early in the morning there is a 
fire made in the sweat-house and Lock and Lock-nee take a 
sweat and then go back across the river, Lock going to his se- 
cluded place and keeping himself hid so that none can catch 
even a glimpse of him. The girl also keeps secluded by keeping 
in the house where the wives of Lock and Lock-nee are, and she 
is busy fixing her dresses, combing her hair and keeping herself 
ver3" neat and what spare time she ma,y have after this she is 
making a new dress or skirt from the inner bark of the wild 
maple that grows on the river. The bark is bleached until white, 
then platted and hung to a band that goes around the waist, 
making it as a skirt, coming down to the ankles. All the work- 
ers which are called Nah-quelth are read^' to work like beaver? 
getting everything in readiness. No one eats more than one 
meal a day and all must be in good health and young before 
they are accepted to work on the fish dam. The da3' that it 
starts and until it is completed must not exceed ten daj-s. The 
girl, Normer, now^ sends Lock's wife or Lock-nee's wife, (either 
one can go) to select for her ten girls all of which must be of 
good birth from the middle class or rich, and not more than ten. 
but if ten cannot be secured a less nmnber wnll do. These 
young girls now come and are called Wah-clure, l)ut they do not 
see Normer. Thej' remain with their kindred and are drilled 
and fixed up to be ready for the last day and final finish of the 
fish dam. Now Lock-nee has selected from the Nah-quelth or 
workers, either five or six to act as managers over the different 
parts of the work, and these take the bark of the madrone and 
make a hat which looks very much like an old style plug hat 
that the white man wears. This is striped and painted in a 
novel fashion and these workers are very noticable as they go 
from place to place gi\'ing instructions to the workers. These 
])lug hat men now select tweh'e or less boys and put them to 
making ribbons of bark which they stripe off very flowery by 
painting and carving, also making fancy Indiiui pipes, carving 
and painting them verj^ artistically. These boys are called Char- 



48 GENERAL HISTORY 

rah and the pipes and lihhons made by them are p>it on the top 
of long sHm jxjles from twelve to fifteen feet long and are to he 
used at the finish of the fish dam. These poles have the hark 
taken off and are elean and white. 

All this time Loek has kept himself seereatcnl from tlie 
eyes of all the workers and on tlie morning of the fifth day, 
very early, he and Loek-nee go up the mountain side and select 
the first one of the long tjeams or string(n-s that is to he put iu 
on the north side of the river, starting just above the large rock 
under which he keej^s himself secluded up to this time, and when 
he has selected the one that suits him he makes a small fire at 
the roots of the tree and burns his incense, then sits down by 
the fire and prays to God to give blessings to the whok^ people 
with health and plenty. Now all of the workei's knowing the 
time, and the boys and the men have followed up and are all 
looking for the posts, twenty-two in number, and the rest of the 
stringers which are ten besides the one that Lock selects, making 
eleven altogether. After Lock has finished with his prayer to 
God he conunences to cut the tree. Lock-nee helping him and 
togethei- they cut it down and when it falls with a crash all the 
workers shout loudly, "oh-oo", and the whole side of the 
mountain echoes with their voices. Lock-nee begins to trim of!' 
the l)ranch(»s and i)eel the bai'k while others come in and help. 
All the workers are scattered off in different places, each squad 
looking for posts and the rest looking for stringers and cutting 
them down and as each tree fell they all holler "oh-oo." They 
take the bark off and trim and sharpen the posts. All these 
pieces are complete in one day and taken down to the river's 
edge by evening and l)efore any one can eat or drink water 
after all the pieces are finished. Lo(;k and Lock-nee take the 
lead with the stringers, a rope tied around the large butt end 
which is (juite heavy timber and start down the mountain with 
it, Lock all the while talking in prayer to God, and if the 
timljer stops he prays and talks good and as he has all his life 
been so good that God causes the timber to move along easily. 
As Lock starts all the rest follow with their limbers and all 
arrive about sunset on the north bank with all the heavy frame 
part for the fish dam. These people while they are working all 
day ar(> full of jokes, laughing and telling funny stories, and if 
one has done a mean trick of any kind and others know of it, 



GENERAL HISTORY • 49 

he is twitted about it; they poke fun at each other continually, 
yet they all keep good natured about it and they are all very 
witty in their answers. They all smoke during the day, each 
one using his own pipe and all have their own buck-skin sack to 
carry his pipe and tobacco in. Now all the timbers are in the 
water and tied to the bank and left floating, ready for morning. 
Men and boys now bathe themselves and clean their hair, when 
all depart for their different camping places, parting with jests 
and jokes, and eat their only meal in twenty-four hours. Lock 
addresses the girl as my child, my daughter and other endearing 
terms. After the meal is over Lock and Lock-nee go to the 
sweat-house to rest and sleep for the night and in the morning, 
early, all are out and ready and go down to the river and across 
in their canoes, they having many of them on such occasions. 
Lock now gets the rock for driving the post, this is of granite 
and flat, from twelve to fifteen inches across and from two to 
four inches thick and weighs from fifty to sixty pounds. Only 
those who use this rock ever have a chance to examine it and it 
is said to have been made many generations ago. It is kept 
hidden in a secret place and only brought to view for this pur- 
pose and all the other tools that are used for every part and 
purpose in putting in the fish dam (La-og-gen) are hidden in a 
secret place, not all being in one place, and there are never more 
than two persons (Lock and Lock-nee) at one time that know 
where to find them, being handed down from one to another. 
This rock they call Milth-me-ah-lisi and in calling for it they 
say, Say-yah. The other tools are called by their different 
names, the hammer they call Tec-wan-ore. Lock and Lock-nee 
drive the first two posts which starts the fish dam, the first 
one is driven nearly perpendicular, and now the workers have to 
put up a staging which Lock climbs upon as the post is long 
and has to be driven quite deep into the ground, Lock-nee holds 
the post so as to keep it in place while Lock takes a mall and 
as he raises it he talks to God, using words for lots of salmon 
and to bless all, and at this he comes down with a hard blow, 
and keeps it up until the first post has been driven to the pro- 
per depth, he does not strike his blows fast each blow is struck 
slowly. The second post is set at an angle on the down river 
side of the fisrt one, set to make a brace against the currant of 
the river, and also the top ends come together so as to leave a 



50 ■ (;exi:ral history 

foi'k or crotch at the toj) which is tied securely together with 
ha/.el rope, lea\iiifi' it so heani poles can be placed in the crotch 
and tied secanely. Now wluai Lock-nee has the second post prop- 
erly s(>t in i)lace, Lock commences as on the first and drives 
it down to the pi-oi;ei' depth and after this is done Lock and 
Lock-nee take the hazel withe and tie it to the first one, leaving 
the crotch. This l^eing done Lock passes the ma'l over to the 
other workei-s and drive the r(^st of ihv ])Osts, the r.ext two of 
which are set angang tlown the rivei- and the third two are set 
angling up the river so as to make it in a shape lik(» the old 
style of a woiin fence made of rails; this is also done for the 
purpose of hradi- >; the whole structure against the current of the 
river. As soon as the posts are all driven Lock and Lock-nee 
place the first long stringer in its right place, which is on the 
north side of the river, then the workers soon place the rest of 
them and tie them with hazel withes. Then smal'ei- posts are 
driven! at the corners for each trap, at the corners two posts are 
driven, one angling dovrn the river and they are p'accd so as to 
leave the crotch, in which a pole is placed. The traps are 
about twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long commencing so the 
centei- of the first trap will be in the center of the first worm of 
the main frame woi'k and tliis is started first on the north side 
of the river. When the posts are all driven for the traps which 
are many of them for the corners and side and also to l)race 
against the cuii-ent of the river. The top pieces are j^laced and 
braced, then poles are vvithed to the sides and ends all around 
each trap. The mat or woven work of small split poles are 
taken in and i)lace(l, unrolled, letting them close up, close to the 
frame work of the structure. These traps are set on the down 
river side of the main structure so that all of this mat work has 
to be put (111 the inside of the frame work of the traps. Then 
all of this matting is tied with hazel withes very carefully. 
These traps are ruA put uj) close together, there is a place of 
about six feet left between each trap so that a canoe can be lun 
between them. This matting is placed all th(» way across on the 
U])l)er side of the main fi-ame, except on the south side of the 
rivei' where tliere is an o])en ])lace of about fwenty feet in width, 
this only ha- the main Icam o\-er it and is left so all can pass 
up and down the ri\'ei- in tlnir boats, and also a chance for 



GENERAL HISTORY 51 

many salmon to pass up river. They place boards along the 
main fish dam so as to leave a good foot walk all the distance 
across the river from one bank to another. They put in a gate 
at the lower end of fish traps and one at the upper end of each 
trap, and at this time the water begins to roar so that when 
close to the dam it is deafening. Now there are so many 
families to each trap, so the upper gate is closed down and the 
lower gate is opened. We are now up to the noon hour of the 
tenth day, when there is a long pole some twenty to twenty-four 
feet long set just at the south side and end of the fish dam and 
just on the lower side, on the top of this pole all of the fancy 
work that the boys have been making is tied and there is a 
mound of sand heaped around the foot of this pole to a height 
of three or four feet and from eight to ten feet across. Now it 
is about four o'clock in the afternoon and Lock and Lock-nee 
are with the Nah-quirlth, busy as bees putting the final touches 
to the fish dam. And of all the tribes, the women are the most 
anxious and are from place to place asking the others how the 
girl Normer is, if she is well, can she go and if she is going, 
when out comes Normer from her place where she has been kept 
from view all these days. She has in the palm of her right hand 
a small basket in which is a small piece of acorn dough, and 
she goes in a swift run on a broad smooth trail in an easterly 
direction for a distance of five hundred yards to this pole, which 
she runs up to, facing it, then going around to the right she sets 
the basket on top of the mound, close up to the pole. All are 
watching for her and as soon as one sees her they all shout at 
the top of their voices. Then Lock runs to hide as he does not 
want to see her at this time. Now she turns and goes back at 
the same swift speed and at this time all of the girls that she 
sent for are in their place where they dance. The ground is all 
fixed, having been scooped out leaving a depression some four 
feet deep and twenty feet across, gently sloping to the center. 
Normer comes up to the dancers and passes on in a westerly 
direction down the river until she comes to a woman who has 
been a Normer before her and tells her where to turn to the 
river, where she bathes herself, then turns back and walks to 
where the girls are dancing and sits down in front of them and 
urges them to sing louder and dance faster. These Wa-clures 
stand erect moving the body forward and backward by the ac- 



52 GENERAL HISTORY 

tioii of tlu' kiuH's, i-aising first one foot and then the othei-. Nor- 
nier keeps walch of the sun and as it is getting low and it is 
getting time for all to come, she raises to a kneeling position 
and bids the Wa-clures to sing louder and dance faster, they 
then move very lively. Normer is the absolute ruler of her 
people as she is the child of God's own purity. Then comes 
Lock with Lock-nee closely l)ehind and thirdly comes the boy, 
("harrah, with the same liasket that Normer left at the i)()le 
and which is now full of water, and as Lock walks up to Nor- 
mci- the girls all droj) down and hover over Normer, then Lock 
and Lock-nee drop over them, then the boy who has the l)asket 
of water lowei-s his hand and throws the basket, water and all 
as high up in the air as he can and the water comes down over 
them in a shower. As the boy throws the basket and water up 
in the air he and all of the boys drop down over the others, 
hovering over Normer like a swarm of bees hovering over the 
queen. This is done for her protection, for now come all the 
workes, each one having a long pole on the top of which are 
tied the bark iibl)ons and and fancy carved Lidian pipes that 
the boys made, and as they come running up they form a half 
circle around the heap letting the long heavy poles fall over 
them with a ciTsli which is done so quickly that it is very hard 
to see how it is done, and just as quickly the whole heap raises 
up out of this place and place themselves in fours for the next 
move. At this time if Normer was silly enough she could com- 
mand every man, woman and child to lie flat on their abdomens 
and go without eating for another twenty-four hours, as all must 
obey her conunands, no matter what they might be. Now the 
fish dam is completed and all go to their camps. Normer goes 
to the lodge with Lock, whih^ Lock-nee secures and takes to her 
the first salmon taken from the fish dam and Lock-nee cuts out 
from the middle of tliis salmon enough for her supper, while no 
one else can eat of the salmon until the next day. Every thing 
now becomes (|uite for an hour, as they are all taking their 
evening meal. Then first one than another ^\^ll liegin to inquire 
about Normei- and her health. Now all depends upon NoruKM-, 
if she is strong enough she (juietly goes out and cleans oti" the 
ground this same evening but if too tired she puts it otf until 
morning. Aftei- making her plans she then gives her orders to 
Lock and he in retuiii givo it out to the people and they all 



GENERAL HISTORY 53 

begin to prepare. After Normer has cleaned the ground she 
makes a small fire just in front of the dancers and on which she 
places the incense roots, then as the dancers come up and take 
their places she sits there with her hair hanging loose, down on 
each side of her face, and with heads over her neck 
and hanging down over her breast, she has on 
a white buck-skin dress trimmed with beads and shells, all of 
which are made by her own hands as we use only of our 
own make. She does not use feathers of any kind. Normer sits 
there a model of beauty with the teachings that have been hand- 
down through the many generations, that if she should, while 
carrying out her duties, loose her virtue, or disobey any of the 
laws of her God, that she would be struck dead for doing so. 
Now the dance starts and this is the beginning of the White 
Deer-skin dance. This place is about ten miles up the river 
from the place where the White Deer-skin dance is held but is 
started first at this place after the finishing of the fish dam. 
Nor-mer starts it here and then all go home, but Nor-mer, Lock, 
Lock-nee, the girls and the boys remain here. Lock and Lock-nee 
taking charge of the fish dam and all stay here as long as the 
fish dam holds intact, except the last day of the White Deer- 
skin dance when Lock calls all of them and asks if they want to 
see it the last day, if they decide to go not one of them must 
eat the last day and all go together and retui-n in the evening 
when they all eat. Now all is fun and mirth with all of them 
that remain at the fish dam, Lock and Lock-nee lead- 
ing them all in the plays and fun of every nature. Normer 
stays with Lock and Lock-nee but she now goes out and plays 
and jokes and has her share of the fun, and all have their reg- 
ular meals. This place where the fish dam is put in is called by 
them Cap-pell and is a bar of some twenty or thirty acres, higli 
enough so the river never over-flows it and yet it is very level. 
It is a pretty place, being situated on the south bank of the 
Klamath river. There are two villages on this pretty spot, one 
being Cap-pell which was very large in the ages gone by and 
which contained a very large number of Indians. The othei- 
village was called Sy-ah and was very ancient, being the place 
where the lodge was situated. The house they stay in is called 
Lah-wa-alth and the house where Lock and Lock-nee sleep is 
called Ur-girk. 



54 GENERAL HISTORY 

I will say to the white I'ace that my people, or any otiiei' 
Indian tiiiies as far as I know them, do not use the name of our 
Creator wlicn using piofane hmguage, as we would feel it a dis- 
grace to do so, even to think of such a thing. We never use 
the sacred name of God only in oui' pi'ayers. 

The following are a few expressions sometimes used: Kee- 
mol-len-a Ta-ga-ar-a-wah-ma, (bad talk) pointing the right hand» 
with the fingers extended, toward a person and at the same time 
saying: Woo-saw-ah, means that the person is badly born, and 
they never forgive you for this. Another is: Char-reck-quick-cal- 
]ah, and means: "I wish you w'ere in hell", and for this also they 
never forgive. 



mm ^*#i Wm ^m %m mm ilf J wm 

'§^u?^^ i^u^^^ i^u^^^ (^^^^vi S^(^^^ i^^^^ p^^^ (^w cQ^vi 

CHAPTER II. 
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. 



In a vision, the Indian through his mysterious eyes 

Sees yonder in the distant skies, 
A scene subHme of the past ages, 

That for aye will enchant bards and sages. 



ON His mighty Throne, high in the infinite realms of 
Heaven, sat the great ruler of the stars and endless 

skies, Wah-pec-wah-mow (God). As he peered down 
through the darkness of a cheerless and lonely space, He 
created a new world, the earth on which we live. 
He first made the soil of the earth and placed it 
in a buck-skin sack. He opened the sack and shook 
the soil from it; it fell down into the chasm of darkness, and 
Wah-pec-wah-mow could not see anj^thing but the intense dark- 
ness. He commanded that the rays of light should penetrate 
the awful darkness, and there should alternately be night and 
day. The sun to shine by day and the moon to shine by night, 
to break the awful stillness of this once dark and cheerless world. 

Gazing down from His Throne on high, Wah-pec-wah-mow 
saw the world he had created was a desolate waste without hu- 
man life, or life of any kind. He now began the transformation 
of the new world, and lo, the once barren surface of the earth 
was clothed in verdure; forests lifted their giant branches sky- 
ward; tranquil streams flowed and great rivers wended theii' way 
to the ocean. 

The first living thing placed upon the earth was the 
white deer (Moon-chay-poke). The white deer roamed over the 
hills, mountains, in the valleys and on the plains. He was the 
pride and dignity of the animal kingdom. This is why the Kla- 
math Indians revere the white deer that is so sacred to their 
hearts and use the skin as an emblem of purity, in one of their 



56 CREATION OF THE WORLD 

};i'(*at('s1 fcstivnls, or \v()rshi])s, which is tcrincd in English as, 
"'I'hc \\'hit(' I)c(M-skin Dance." In the Indian language it is 
called, "Oh-puie-ah-wah"; which does not mean dance but means 
one of their most sacred religious festivals. 

The next li\'ing creature that Wah-pec-wah-mow placed 
ui^on the eaith was the red eagle, Hay-wan-alth, who has ever 
since ruled as the monarch of the ski(^s. The Indians prize the 
feathers of this eagle very highly, and use them in tlieir g.eat 
festival. In the decoi-ation of their head-gear, they take a single 
feather, fasten it in the hair at the back of the head, arranging 
it so that it standi sti-aight up. They also use the feathers of 
the bald eagle, Pei-gone-gish, and the gray eagle, Per gish, some- 
times as a substitute for the feathers of the red eagle. 

After the white deer and red eagle was placed up.on the 
(»arth, Wah-pec-wah-mow now created all the other animals of 
the earth. Some were to roam upon the plains, others in the 
forests, some to eat grass antl others to devour other animals, 
etc. 

W'ah-pec-wah-maw did not give our people any single tlay 
during the week or month, as a day of worship, l)ut gave them 
a certain season of the year in which to hold their religious 
ceremonies. This season of worshipful ceremonies usually begins 
in the month of Septemljer, and lasts for several days. It is the 
season of the year when the water of the rivers and brooks el)b 
lowest, and the summer is almost ready to wane into the glories 
of Autumn. This season is called, "Kne-\val-la-taw%" the eighth 
month of the year, according to our w^ay of reckoning time. 

When Wah-pec-wah-mow had finished creating the plant 
and animal life of the earth, He then created the 
first real man. He made the first man of the 

soil of the earth, and placed him in the beautiful valley of 
( 'heek-cheek-alth. This valley was located in a far off northern 
clime. When the first man was created and he became a living 
being upon the earth, Wah-pec-w'ah-mow said to him, "Vou are 
a living man." (Jod named this man He-quan-neck. Inspiied 
with the breath of life, IIe-(iuaii-neck first saw the light of day 
in this sweet valley of sunshin(\ flowers, fruits and herbs. 
Among the growing herbs was the hvv\) walth-jiay, which has a 
forked root. (Jod s;iw th.-it the man wa- loueU in tliis sunny 



CREATION OF THE WORLD 57 

valley, and he was not pleased with his work. Wah-pec-wah- 
moh now requested He-quan-neck to blow his nose, which he 
di-d, and immediately the forked root, or walth-pay turned into 
a living woman, Kay-y-yourn-nak. Man now became blessed 
with a living companion and for a time they dwelt together in 
the chaste life of peace and happiness. 

Our tradition has been handed down through th-e long 
centuries, the first dwelling place of man and woman was far 
away in a northern clime. It would seem a distant land across 
the waters from the North American continent that is located in 
the northetn part of the world, which we call Cheek-cheek-alth. 

Man and woman in the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth knew 
no sin, two pure souls were they in this valley of perpetual sun- 
shine and flowers. 

The loneliness of two human beings dawned upon Wah- 
pec-wah-mow so he decided to have the earth populated with 
people. He now caused He-quan-neck and Kay-y-yourn-nah to 
fall asleep, and while they slept He caused the snake to crawl 
across the woman's bare abdomen, that awakened the sleepers, 
and this opened their eyes to their nudeness and thereafter they 
knew sin. The finer senses of the woman awoke, as she became 
deeply humiliated at the sight of her naked self, and she began 
to fasten leaves together from the herb, Cur-poo-sa-gon, out of 
which she made an apron to clothe herself. Thus the first 
garment that woman wore was from the leaves of this wonderful 
plant. This plant grows in abundance along the lower Klamath 
river and its surrounding regions, and the little Indian girls up to 
this day like to gather these leaves, rub their face and hands 
with and wear them upon their heads under their caps. These 
leaves have a very strong and unpleasant odor. 

Wah-pec-wah-moh commanded the man and woman to go 
forth and bring children upon the earth. A curse fell upon the 
woman, that she should l)ear children with pain, therefore every 
woman after her, through all the long centuries has had to 
endure this hardship. The first children were born some with 
light hair and fair skin and blue eyes, and some with black hair, 
dark skin and black eyes and as they married they would mate 
with black hair, the others with light, hair and when they left 
the old land Cheek-cheek-alth they were not so dark, many of 
them were light haired, fair and blue eyed. 



58 CREATION OF THE WORLD 

Wah-ix'c-wah-inow put a curse upon the siuike tliat it 
should crawl upon its l)elly as long as the earth should last. 

God's laws were that every man and woman should marry 
and bring forth children. These people were taught to obey the 
laws and l)e honest. Tiiey increased in nunil)(>r until they became 
very numerous, and at that time, they all talked the same 
language. As time si)ed by they became very numerous and 
Wah-])ec-wah-niow now caused our people, the Indians, to start 
on their long journey, away from their native haunts and child- 
hood's land, C'heek-check-alth. We do not know how long, but 
the>- wandered thus in search of a new land, leaving behind them 
only a memory of the old land. A land that claims its own no 
more in life and like a people in exile they wandered on. 






CHAPTER III. 
THE WANDERING TRIBE. 



FROM the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the mystic Eden of 
long ago, came our wandering tribe of people who long 

since inhabited North and South America; for we are all 
one people. Among them were our leaders, the men who 
possessed in their secret breasts the true name of God. These 
men and women in our language we call Talth, and were the 
High Priests, and great rulers who ruled our people. Therefore, 
we were one of the tribes that was never ruled by a single chief, 
but by our Talth, or High Priests. Upon leaving the old land 
the Talth cariied with them the forked root, Walth-pay, (the 
root from which woman was made) and the stalk of this root as 
a divine rod of strength, endurance and courage, being used as 
a saviour of the tribe. With it the Talth would command food 
for their famished members and bring peace and rest to their 
weary bodies. The Walth-pay stalk kept perfectly green, and 
blossomed all the while, and the High Priests carried it with 
them on their long journeys and years of wanderings. 

The Talth were the mediators between man and God 
during their years of hardships and wanderings, and could com- 
mand for the tribes anything that was needed for human 
existance. These Priests all possessed the true name of God and 
were members of the ancient order sometimes termed as "The 
American Mysteries." The only members left to survive their 
ancient order at the present writing is my father, Weitch-ah-wah, 
now past the century mark several years, an unlettered man 
who can speak no English, and the other member is myself. In 
my infancy I was taught all that was good and all that would 
make for a true and noble womanhood; that there was a God in 
Heaven who ruled over all, and during my researches throughout 
I have found nothing better. When these last two members fin- 
ish their earthly reign, with us perishes the true name of God 
to my people. With it has perished from the earth our true 



()0 THE WANDERING TRIBE 

Indian laws, our sublinic religion, our iUhmIs of chivalry, as rich 
as the civilized world has ever beheld. Also our glorious man- 
hood and womanhood; immoral, corrupt, tottering, down-trodden 
and dehauched by a superior race, we have perished in that 
winter night of the transition period. At a single blow our 
laws were torn asunder; loathsome diseases we had never known 
crushed out the \Uv and beauty of our physical bodies, and de- 
mented oui- spiritual minds with lowly passions. Poisonous 
s])iritous drink has set the brain on fii-e, degrading man and 
womanhood, thus as a race we have perished. And this great 
land, the richest the world has ever known, the land of our fore- 
fat Ikms for so many thousands of years. Now another race is 
struggling on where our reign has ended. Already our great 
rulers are at rest, and forever; laureled with the glories of the 
primeval ages that have passed away in silence. As a nation, 
like the ancient Egyptians, we have grown old and passed away; 
we have seen a great civilization rise to the highest of its 
splendors and pass away to another land beyond recall. Today 
we see another civilization endowed with a splendor of its own, 
rising over the debris of the eternal years. 

We are all one tiibe from the source of the Klamath river 
to its mouth, and down the coast as far as Trinidad, (Cho-ri) 
and up the coast as far as Wilson creek, which we call xA.h-nian. 
We are classed in two divisions and term ourselves as Po-lick-la's 
along the coast and up the river as far as Weitchpec, designated 
as the lower division (jf our tril)e. From Weitchpec on up the 
river to its source we term as Petch-ic-la, the upper division of 
our tribe. We intermarry to a great extent, having the same 
marriage laws and religious ceremonies and all our traditions and 
teachings are the same. We call God, Wah-pec-wah-moh, which 
means in our tongue tiie fathei' of all and we do not consider 
Him as a "which has been so much of the white man's allegory, 
but as an Invisil)le Onuiipotent lacing, who rules this great 
universe with an all seeing eye. He is everywhere. 

Wah-{)(H'-wah-mow is the conunon name applied to God, 
used by all classes of (n\v tiibe, as the real and true name of 
God is never spoken. ( )ur high priests, born of the royal 
marriages are initiated in the Holy Lodge and are given the true 
name of God, but they never speak it outside of the lodge, it is 
only spoken inside after they liave gone through a long and 



THE WANDERING TRIBE 61 

secret comunion, and then the name is only whispered in the 
lowest whisper from mouth to ear. This true name is only used 
by the talth with profound reverence to the Great Creator, in 
the sacred lodge and in the hallowed lonely places far back on 
the high mountains where they go to worship in the profound 
solitudes, away from the gaze of curious people. Our religion 
has been too sacred, too sublime an ideal to quarrel over, hence 
we have remained silent through the gloom of so many years 
and borne patiently the insults on royal society as being 
heathens. This true name of God, as great as the universe, will 
never be spoken again. If it should be uttered in a loud and 
harsh tone of voice, it is said that the earth will tremble, ignite 
in mighty flames and pass away forever. Ever thus, since the 
creation of the world, the Talth have handed down our religion 
and traditions from the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, from 
generation to generation. It is the duty of every Indian child to 
be pious and worship the Great Great ar. Our sacred religion 
is 0-pure-ah-way (the White Deer-skin dance) where all the 
members of the tribes in unison and worship, and entertain 
our guests with much hospitalit3\ 

In our recollections of the past we left the land of our 
birth (Cheek-cheek-alth) many thousands of years ago with our 
leaders, the Talth, who were given the true name of God in the 
old land, and crrried with them the forked root, or Walth-pay. 
With this divine rod they commanded food comfort and peace 
during their long years of weary wanderings. After we left the 
beautiful valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, for years we wandered down 
a European land, always moving toward the south, having our 
origin in the far north. Over this land we wandered like exiles, 
we know not how long, as it might have been centuries until we 
reached the rolling waves of the ocean. Upon reaching this salt 
water we made boats or canoes, and paddled over the waves 
until we reached the opposite shore, having crossed the straits 
in safety. Having reached this opposite shore, upon this new 
continent we continued our weary years of wandering, ever on, 
far on, down this land, always going south as before. We carried 
the memory through the long ages, the perils of the far north, 
the huge icebergs, the regal monarchs of the North that floated 
like ghost-ships at night on dream-land seas, the splendors of the 
aurora borealis flickered across the snowy fields and through 



62 THE WANDERING TRIBE 

this land of the mid-night sun canu' our brave t'or(>fathers. In 
this land of the frozen North some of our people were left, the 
Esquimau; they were given a language as they were seperated 
from our sturdy l)and and emigratinl oven- the snowy fields and 
have long sinci' from tliis tim(^ on inhabited the land of perpetual 
i('(> and snow. 

Oui' tribe would often lecoine weary with ti-avel and 
])econie very dissatisfied and would (piarrel nnich ;'n:on<i- them- 
selves. The Talth would stop after hearing so nuuh grumbling 
and build a lodge where their members would hold a meeting 
and offei' up woi'ship to God, that He would guide them aright, 
endow them with power to l)ring peace among their people, 
eomfort them in tlieir wants and give them food. After the 
lodge meeting and prayer the Talth would command with the 
rod of Walth-i)ay food for their pc^ople. The food came to them 
in the form of acorn dough out of which they made bread or 
p<)l)-saw. The Indians would never see pop-saw falling to the 
ground, but they would find it where the Talth told them to 
look, and each one would be compelled to gather up their own, or 
they would go hungry. As long as they remained camped in the 
same place the pop-saw would come to them but when they 
would break up camj) and travel on the pop-saw would cease to 
come and the tribe would grow very hungry and begin to 
(piarrel again. The Talth would stop after days of fatigue and 
hunger, and build another lodge .where their members would 
worship at the sacred shrine. After the worship food would 
come again in the form of the acorn dough, commanded with 
rod of Walth-pay. Sometimes the Talth would leave the (;amps 
for several days, duiing which time the jjeople would become 
very restless and discontented and some of the people would tiy 
to perform the duties of the Talth in their absence, and some 
of them would pray to the sun, some to the stars and other 
idols. The Talth would be very muc^h humiliated upon their 
return to find their people so corrupt in their worship, and it 
would take nmch faithful work to assure peace and oitler among 
them again. The Talth would plant the herb, Walth-pay at 
their stopping places during their travels, and it would readily 
take loot and grow, at almost every stoi)ping place some of our 
j)eoi)le were left and (Jod would give them a languag(\; they 
would inhabit the lo(;ality i)ermanently and branch out to other 



THE WANDERING TRIBE 63 

localities, while our part of the people traveled on until they 
reached their final earthly home on the Klamath river, which we 
call Health-kick- wer-roy, and here we found the white race, 
(Wa-gas) and which will be told of in another chapter. Thus we 
traveled on down a great continent, leaving behind at our 
stopping places, a portion of our people, which were given 
different languages. Thus were our languages confounded among 
the tribes of America, and our tribes became numerous, being 
scattered over the land of the midnight sun of perpetual ice and 
snow, over the continent of Nort America to the equator and 
regions of perpetual sunshine; and beyond the equator over the 
continent of South America to its farthermost southern borders, 
where we merge into the regions of ice and snow again, our 
tribes have been scattered. Over this great land we are all one 
people, however some of our tribes were far superior to others. 
We know not how many centuries we wandered, or when 
we reached our last stopping place on the Klamath river and 
where we decided our long journey should end, and that we 
would make this our final home. The Wah-teck, Wah-ker-rah, 
Cor-tep and Pec-wan villages were among our first camping 
grounds on the Klamath river. Here we spread our camps and 
built our first houses long ages ago, and have resided in them 
and kept them in repair from generation to generation. Some of 
these primeval houses yet remain in these old villages, haunted 
with the romance of centuries and the inspiring history of past 
ages. Upon our first arrival there were a great many of our 
people and we began to divide off into different villages and 
locate along the Klamath river and down the coast as far as 
Trinidad, (Cho-ri) and up the coast to Wilson Creek (Ah-man). 
The other tribes were placed by Wah-pec-wah-mow in different 
localities, that all the people might sustain themselves with 
plenty of game and food, and be kept comfortable. 

The Talth kept the Walth-pay in commemoration of 
God's creation of woman and their travels, and planted it in a 
few selected places back in the lonely mountains. The Talth all 
know where to find this wonderful herb growing, but it is also 
fading with the remote ages as there are only a few Indians left 
who know where to find it. With them passes away the sacred 
rites and laws of an ancient nation forever, and the primeval 
art becomes a thing of the mystic ages. 






CHAPTER IV. 



TRADITIONS OF THE ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 



WHEN The Indians first made their appearance on the 
Klamath river it was ah-eady inhabited by a white race 
of people known among us as the Wa-gas. These white 
people were found to inhal)it the whole continent, and were a 
highly moral and civilized race. They heartily welcomed the 
Indians to their country and taught us all of their arts and 
sciences. The Indians recognized the rights of these ancient 
people as the first possessors of the soil and no difficulties ever 
arose between the two people. Their hospitality was exceedingly 
generous in the welfare of our people and all prospered together 
in peace and happiness, in their pursuit of human (xistance. 
After a time there where inter-marriages between the two races, 
but these were never promiscuous. For a vast period of time 
the two races dwelt together in peace and honored homes, wars 
and quarrels were unknown in this golden age of happiness. No 
depredations were ever committed upon the property of their 
people, as the white people ruled with beacon light of kindness, 
and our people still worship the hallowed places where once they 
trod. Their morals were far superior to the white people of to- 
day, their ideals were high and inspired our people with greatness. 
After we had lived with these ancient people so long, they 
suddenly called their hosts together and mysteriously disappeared 
for a distant land, we know not where. We have no memory of 
their reason or cause why they abandoned their ancient homes 
where they had dwelt for untold centuries. Wars did not drive 
them forth, for we loved them more than brothers, and difficulties 
were unknown l)etween the two people. On leaving they went 
toward the North from whence we came, and disappeared from 
our land beyond the northern seas. It was a sad farewell when 
they departed from this land, for our people mourned their loss, 
as no more have we f(nmd such friends as they, so true 
loyal. In thcii' faicwcll journey across this land they left 



and 
land- 



TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 65 

marks of stone monuments, on the tops of high mountains and 
places commanding a view of the surrounding country. These 
land-marks we have kept in repair, down through the ages in 
loving remembrance. I have seen many of these land-marks 
myself (and often repaired them) that they left as a sj^mbol of 
the mystic ages and the grandeur of a mighty nation that passed 
in a single season. Oh, how little we know of the depths of the 
ages gone, how wide, how profound and deep is the knowledge 
we seek; a monument of stone, a stone bowl, a broken symbol, 
a hallowed unknown spot, a lodge of ruins, all this makes a 
golden page glittering with diamonds that trills the emotions 
with mysterious longings for truth and light in the depths 
unknown. 

When the Wag-as left this land they assured my people 
that they would return to them at some future time. Perchance 
thousands of years have elapsed since then, and they have not 
returned, we have waited in vp.in for it seems that our cherished 
hopes are fading. However, some of our people are still looking 
for the return of the white man. The traditions handed down 
leads us to believe that the Wa-gas returned to the land of their 
birth, in the far north, the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth, as their 
traditions were given to us that their origin was in this same 
land of Cheek-cheek-alth, as they came down from the North 
when they came to this land. When the Wa-gas first arrived on 
this continent they handed down the traditions to us that it was 
inhabited by a giant race of people when they first came. These 
giants were represented by the Wa-gas as being very swarthy in 
complexion, and they used implements so large that no ordinary 
man could lift them. It was an age when large animals roamed 
the earth, and it seems the birds and fowls were all very large 
in size. It appeared to be the first age, and was the age of the 
giants. The recollections transmitted by the Wa-gas were that 
these giants were very cruel and wicked. It was said that God 
became displeased with them and destroyed them and they all 
perished from the earth. It was also said that God appeared to 
the High Priest of the Wa-gas and told them that he was going 
to destroy the giant race and that the Wa-gas themselves would 
survive upon the earth as a new people. Smaller birds and 
animals would appear upon the earth for the use of man, thus 
the age of giants perished, but the Wa-gas do not hand down 



66 THADITIOXS OK ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 

any traclitiDii of how they perished from the eai'th, as my people 
have no recollections of ever seeing giants. My mother says 
that our }x>ople in ;incient times have seen many relics belonging 
to these prehistoric giants, such as huge stone bowls, stone slabs 
and other implements so great that our people could not move 
them. During the ages of rains and wearing away of the earth, 
thes(> imi)lements have been buried so deep and have sunk into 
the earth, is the reason we cannot find them today. The Indian 
nam(> for the giant race is Pah-pel-ene, which means pe<jple that 
have all died and passed away. 

When the Wa-gas relurncMl to Cheek-cheek-alth it is 
supposed they found a laddei- in this beautiful valley which extends 
from earth to Heaven, and climbed it to Werse-on-now, (Heaven) 
where they dwell with God. All the half castes with the 
exc(^l)tion of a few went away with the Wa-gas, and nearly all 
those that were three quarters Indian remained with our people. 
This is said to l)e the rciison why some of our people are very 
fair. Some of the Indians are still looking for their return to 
the earth, when they come back it is l^elieved that peace and 
happiness will reign supreme again over this great land and all 
(>vil will be cast out. When the present race of the white people 
made their first appearance upon the American continent, we 
l)elieved it was the Wa-gas returning and a hearty welcome was 
extended to them and there was great rejoicing among our tribes. 
But soon the sad mistake was discovered to our sorrrow, when 
the men began to debauch our women, give whiskey to our men 
and claim our land that our fore-fathers had inhabited for so 
many thousands of years, yet not a single family has ever been 
di'iven from their house on the Klamath river up to this day. 
We no longer termed them as Wa-gas, but as Ken-e-yahs, which 
means foreigners, who had no right to the land and could never 
ai)i)i'(>ciate our kindness, for they were a very different ]ieople 
from the Wa-gas. They had corrupt morals that brought 
dissolution upon our people and wrought the horrors of untold 
havoc. 

When the Indians first reached the Klamath river there 
W(n-e lai-ge prairies and vast tracts of grassy land, which have 
since grown up in timl)er and under-l)rush. ]\Iany of the prairies 
were; s(;t on fire; and burnt off every year during the dry seasons 
which kept the timber from growing up very fast. 



TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 67 

The Klamath emptied into the ocean at Wilson creek, 
about six miles north of where it now goes into and ocean a,t 
Reck-woy. There were high bluffs of rocks be' ween the river 
and the ocean all the way from Re(;k-woy to Wilson creek, 
which kept the river in its course to Ah-man (Wilson creek) 
Avhere it emptied into the ocean. The river was said to have 
kept in this course until our Christ caused the mighty rocks to 
split open and the waters of the river rushed ahead to the ocean 
at Reck-woy, where it has ever since flowed into the ocean. 

The traditions handed down say that the land, north of 
Redwood creek, where it goes into the ocean, extended far out 
into the sea to the large rock that is now known to the white 
people as Redding rock, has continually washed away leaving 
this rock jutting up from the ocean depths and can be seen for 
many miles over the surrounding area of land and sea. This 
rock is located at a distance of about ten miles from the shore 
and is called by the Indians Sa-quan-ow. This name translated 
into English means an acorn pestle, a conical shaped stone, 
carved out of granite and is used to pound acorns and grass 
seeds into the finest flour. Long ages ago Redding rock extended 
up from the ocean to a great height, and from a distance 
appeared to be a huge Sa-quan, or pestle, hence its name. After 
ages of (>rosion the massive rock became surrounded by water 
and the receeding bluffs left it alone out in the ocean where its 
greater portion has crumbled and fallen beneath the waves as it 
is seen today. The Indians still call it Sa-quan-ow. 

There has been but little change in the channel of the 
Klamath river, except at its mouth since our arrival inthis land. 
In olden times the channel of the river was very deep and clear 
and much narrower than it is now and large bars of alluvial soil 
composed its banks, where luxuriant grasses grew, and upon these 
low-lands during the winter months great herds of deer and elk 
would graze, coming clown from the snow covered mountains. 
The channels of the large creeks and tributaries of the river, such 
as Blue creek, (Ur-ner) Tec-tah and Pec- wan ha^ve practically 
never changed as they still flow into the river in the same places. 
Where the Trinity river flows into the Klamath river it has 
made but little or no change during the passing ages as has 
been handed down to us. 

We have no word of severe earthquakes in our regions, 



68 TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT WHITE PEOPLE 

but have had slight shocks from time to time throughout tlie 
centuries. We have no tales of any great damage ever done by 
earthquakes and our ])eopIe never held any fear of tremors of 
the earth. But my people tell of great tidal waves that have 
swept our country. The\' say a long time ago one swept up the 
Klamath river to the mouth of the Trinit}' river, a distance of 
over forty miles, and did great damage, as it swept away houses 
and thousands of our people were drowned and carried away by 
the i-()lling waves of the ocean, so few of our trib(> were left 
that they were well nigh exterminated. Many smaller tidal 
waves have swept over the coast where the destruction was not 
so great. 

They tell of epidemics that came up the river and laid 
us low in the devastation of life, thousands of our people would 
pass away in a single season; they would die so fast that they 
could not l)e buried and many of the bodies would be thrown 
into the river. The only way we could keep the whole tribe 
from complete devastation by the ravages of these dreadful dis- 
eases was to abandon the dead and leave the river and go l)ack 
into the high mountains and there we built bark houses and re- 
main until the snow and cold w^ould compell us to retreat to the 
low-lands again. In our mountain hom(^ we subsisted on wild 
game, 1)erries, pine nuts, roots and herbs. Some of our people 
would have such a terror of the fat;d diseases that they would . 
refuse to return to their homes and would brave the fierce 
storms of the cold winter until they were convinced that all 
dangers had ceased. In our traditions of the passing centuries 
many of these epidemics have almost devasted the land of 
human life. During one of these contagions it was said that the 
children would go down to the river to swim and would lie 
down in rows from six to twelve in number upon the sand, as if 
tliey were alive and had been placed there by careful hands; Ijut 
they would be in their eternal sleep, contagion having overtaken 
them. 



CHAPTER V. 



TIME AND NAMES. 



W 



E Have 
follows :- 



ten months for one year, and four seasons, as 



1st month: Caw-cha- witch. 

2nd month : Nan-ah-wetch. 

3rd month: Nachk-sa-witch. 

4th month: Chaw-na-ah-wertch. 

5th month: Mere-i-yaw. 

6th month: Cauh-chow. 

7th montii: Chere-wer-sere. 

8th month: Cana-wal-a-ture. 

9th month: Cher-mick. 

lOth month: Wealth-ah-wah. 

Spring: Key-atch-ker. 

Summer: Kis-sa-no. 

Autumn: Ka-yock-ka-muck. 
Winter: Cah-mah. 



We lose time in our count each year, so we throw in or 
stop counting until the time comes around to start again. The 
Klamath Indians are good in counting and can count up into 
the thousands. We count ten, and ten tees for one thousand. 
All of our counting is done by whole numbers; we have no 
fractions. All the women have to count and count closely in 
weaving baskets in order to make the designs come out correct- 



70 



TIME AND NAMES 



ly. We liave astronomers, called Haw-getch-neeiis, and tluiy 
keep close ol)scrvaion of the sun, which we call Ca-chine-wan- 
now-slay. Day we call Ca-chine; the moon, Nas-cha-wan-now- 
sloy, this means the night sun. 



English names. 

An old woman 

Young women 

Little girl 

Baby 

Boat or canoe 

House 

Come in the house 

How do you do my friend 

Me or I 

Yes 

Fire 

]\Iother 

Father 

Grandfather 

Grandmother 

Old man 

Young man 

Large boy 

Small boy 

l\Iother-in-law 

Father-in-law 

Sister-in-law 

Brother-in-law 

Uncle 

Aunt 

Klamath river 

Redwood timber 

Mermaids 

Silver Salmon 

Steelhead Salmon 

King Salmon 

Hook-bill Salmon 

Grizzly Bear 

Sea or Ocean 



Klamath Indian. 
Ca-par-a 

Way-yun 

Wer-yes 

Oaks 

Yacht 

Och-lum-ilth 

Och-la-may 
Lya-cjuay Nec-to)--nK>r 

Neck 

A 

Metch 

Calk 

Tat, or Tat us 

Peach 

Gooch 
Ma-we-mer 
Pay-girk 
Che-na-mouse 
May- wall 
Cha-win 
Par-ah 
Netch-nah 
Weitch-tay, or -Tay 
,Iim 
Tool 

Hc^alth-kick-wer-roy 
Keilth 
Squer-tuck 
Nep-i)U()y 
Squalth 
Ah-pus 
Cha-goon 
Nick-witch 
Pis-calth 



TIME AND NAME 71 

The Bald Hills we call Cho-lu, contains many hundreds 
of acres of open land, high up where one can see as far as the 
eye can reach in all directions. 

There is another specie of the Salmon caught in the 
Klamath river, the Enghsh name of which I do not know but 
we call it Ra-gawk. 

In the year 1850 my people had never heard of the 
present white race and we were then making our fires with two 
pieces of wood, one the willow and the other of hardwood. 

My mother and father never leraned to talk English, so I 
talk to them only in our own language. 



CHAPTER VI. 



DEATH AND THE SIT HIT LAND. 



THI"]RE is a large and silent river that flows through the 
shadowy vale of death. On the banks of this aAvful and 
mysterious river dwells an old woman, called Sye-elth, and 
she keeps at hvv side a large dog, Chish-yah, (the common name 
for dog). 

When an Indian dies, if he has led a dishonorable and 
wicked life, a l)road path leads his soul down to the banks of 
the river to the very door where the old woman lives in her 
house. When the wandering soul i-eaches her door, the Chish- 
yah tries to drive it back to the dead Ijody, but the old woman 
fights the dog off and if she is successful in her efforts she takes 
charge of the miserable soul and sends it on to th(> opposite 
side of the river, in the shadowy land of endless anguish. If the 
dog is successful in fighting the soul back it returns to the dead 
l)ody where life is regained and the person lives again. This 
seldom occurs, and only w'here the body lives in a state of coma 
and is supposed to be dead, but after a few hours comes out of 
that state and revives into life again. The Chish-yah is seldom 
successful, as a case rarely occurs. This is why the Indian 
never likes to scold or treat the dog badly. 

The old Indians do not like to look at a i)hotogia])h or 
to liave their photographs taken, because they say it is a 
reflection or a shadowy image of the departed spirit, O-tjuirlth. 
They do not like to .see spirits, but they say they have often 
seen them. This is the reason they turn their backs on the 
camera and object so strongly to having their pictures taken. 
Often liave my people been ridiculed for their strange actions, 
but they have a reason for every one of them. If the civilized 
man could only respect the reasons and simple ways of the 



DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 73 

highest type of primitive man, as much as primitive man 
venerates his civilization. 

When the spirit comes back to the tired and weary body, 
and that body hves again, that person is said to meet a very 
unfortunate existence. It is said he is never satisfied with 
eartdly things again. He is very restless and unhappy as 
nothing can satisfy his longing soul, and always meets death 
suddenly. 

On the shore of this mysterious River of Death awaits a 
young' man, Pa-ga-rick, in his canoe; he is always ready to 
receive the soul from the old v.oman as she hands it into his 
care. His canoe is similar in shape and size to the earthly 
Indian canoes, with the exception that if one may note carefully 
that all the canoes contain in the bow a knob in the center, 
some three feet back from the bow, which is the heart, and 
they say it is the life of the boat. Also the canoe the Indians 
use is burned inside and out, and polished smooth. The canoe 
that Pa-ga-rick uses for the crossing of the souls is neither 
burned or polished and has no heart, therefore it is called the 
dead boat, merm-ma. In olden times no Indian would venture 
out in a boat upon the water that did not contain a heart, as 
they said it was lifeless and would be sure to sink or some 
disaster befall it. We call oui' canoe here on earth, Yatch. 

Sye-elth just on bank of this dark River of Death, Char- 
reck-quick-werroy, where she gets the souls away from the dog. 
She takes it to the water's edge and gives it to the man in the dead 
boat. He takes the soul into his canoe, paddles it across those 
silent waters, the awful stillness, the awful fear of death. When 
the canoe, Merm-mo or Nee-girk, either name, touches the 
opposite shore, Po-ga-rick, takes the soul, o-quirlth, and banishes 
it into exile, exile without an end or example in story, and leaves 
it in a wilderness. In this wilderness it is damp, a constant 
gloom is cast, dark and fearful clouds forever flit, cold winds 
forever howl and shriek the agonies of hell. 

In this terrible wildness, the souls of the condemned men 
and women sustain their misery up on bitter berries, bitter 
grasses and roots, and cannot die. They had never lived but a 
wasted life upon earth, therefore they can wait to die, as souls 
never die. These wretched souls since Time began, and I think 
the time is sad and heavy through all the weary ages, since they 



74 DEATH AX I) THE SPIRIT LAND 

go waiulciiiifi. liallowhiji,, inotniiig, weepinji; and wailing, giioving 
grief with out an end and suffering pain, intense pain that knows 
no encHng. Thus, Wah-pee-wah-mow, the Great God has seen 
fit to punish iiis (Usreputal:)le ehilth'en until the judgment day. 

Sy(>-elth, this old woman, is the satan of my pe()[)le, 
Chish-yah, the dog, is our Guardian Angel. This old womon is 
our evil doer who is always trying to influence the Indians away 
from the path of rectitude. She hovei's about them in life unseen, 
seeking out their weak points, that she may lead them evil ways 
and vindicate her cruel wants upon their death by taking their 
souls down the l)road path to the wilderness of anguish. Fearing 
her powers, fearing the Unhappy Land, the Indians struggle to 
live simple and peaceful lives and never quarrel over their 
religion. 

The wretched souls banished into the wilderness of anguish 
tlo not quarrel with one another, as they are to wretched in 
their own agony to concei'n themselves about others. 

The Indian seeing a vision of the unhappy land tries to 
live the simple and honest life, near to nature, and their nature's 
God. However, there is not a tribe however well guarded but 
some and sometimes many straj' afar from the path of rectitutle 
and is lead into the wilderness of anguish by their cruel Satan, 
Sye-elth. 

My people believe that there will sonu^time come a chance 
for them to l)ec()me regenerated, or i-eborn, so that many of them 
will be given the opportunity to recompensate for the wickedness 
of their formei' lives and given a chance to live good clean lives 
in their second l)irth. Thus given the opportunity by God when 
they die again, they will be rewarded in g(jing to Heaven, 
Werse-on-now. However, if the ones given the opportunity of 
being saved, do not liv(> lives of integrity after their second birth, 
they are cast off and destroyed forevei'. 

The Indians who had always lived the life of integrity on 
earth when they die their souls or spii'it travels a narrow and 
winding trail which takes the soul to noi-th, to a land far away 
from their native haunts. This far northern clime is said to be 
th(! old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, where the spirit finds a ladder 
that niaches from earth into Heaven. As the spirit climbs the 
hidder to Heaven it reaches God on tliat infinite shore where it 
dwells forever in flowery fields of light, straying together with 



DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 75 

the Master in peace and love, and joining the spirits of those 
tliat have gone before them. 

Can you of the Christian faith comprehend why we take 
so kindly to your own belief ? Yet we think that ours is the 
most perfect and yet you call us savage. We love our God 
almost akin to sadness and are ahvays ready with a prayer-offer- 
ing, be it midiay hour or in the hours of the silent 
night. The Indian in all his savagery, could never blaspheme 
the sacred name of his Creator in man's builded houses, or in 
his daily life as he is a child of nature, akin to nature's God, 
that the Divine Being is the beacon light of his soul, showing 
him life beyond the grave and into the flowery fields of light 
and love, on that infinite shore, into the glories of Heaven. 

The Indian through his long centuries of barbarism battled 
with the environments of barljaric man. In his child-like nature 
he taught his sons and daughters to be kind, courageous, self- 
denying, industrious and above all integrity that could not be 
questioned. Fathers, brothers and cousins guarded the mothers, 
daughters and sisters, that not one of them may stray into a life 
of shame by the passions of designing men. Woman was man- 
ifestly the upholder of her race, loved as the unassuming creature, 
who gave to the race clean limbed and vigorous men. But ah, 
the sad knell, the approach of civilized man, and his crushing 
hand of debauchery to the sorrow of our race, and our laws 
have long since been demolished,, and with it our true religion, 
our life blood, our all. Out of the gloom of saddened years, 
rising in scattered remnants, who like the children of Israel that 
have lived without a country for many weary centuries, we are 
struggling to gain our own once more. Freedom to worship God 
in our own way and to be allowed to become citizens of this our 
own glorious country. 

When a illigitamate child is born, mother and child lived 
in disgrace and after death could never reach the kingdom of 
Heaven, but traveled that broad road which leads to the wild- 
erness, being forever lost. During their life the mother is 
always addressed as Caw-haw, a name that reminds her always 
of her disgrace every time she is spoken to, and the child is 
always reminded of its unwedded mother. Sometimes the 
unfortunate mother may marry, but she is always known as 



7() DEATH AM) THE SPIRIT LAND 

('a\v-h:i\v as luii,ii; as slic lives and can not take the name of the 
man she marries. 

Those who sought unscrujMilous l)i'a\vls were low and dis- 
graced, all traveled after death the l)road road to Satan and are 
never given an oj)porlunity to go to Werse-on-now. There are 
many of the miserable souls who lived a wasted life on earth, 
only to enter in the Spirit Land, the wilderness of anguish. 

In marriage the wife takes the husband's name and the 
husband takes the wife's name, just as an exchange of names 
and the family names are handed down from one generation to 
another. This is done by giving the name to a daughter, son, 
cousin, etc., either the mother or father's name on both sides of 
the family. Sometimes the generation dies out and there arc 
none left of a near kindred, in this case they sometimes give the 
name to a close friend and this custom is followed more by the 
high families. As an example, some years ago an old man lived 
in the Pec-wan village, his name was Ta-poo-sen. He died 
some thirty years ago, and at this writing a middle aged man 
is li\ing in the C'or-tep village who adopted his name after his 
death, and he is known to every one as Ta-poo-sen. There are 
quite a number of Indians living at the present time who have 
taken the names of deceased relatives or friends, The deceased 
has been laid at rest for at least ont; year before any one takes 
his or her name. 

The Klamath Indians are very much prejudiced against 
one taking their own life. They look tlown on the act, and if 
one should take his own life, which we call o-motch-ser-mer-yer, 
there is no chance for them to be saved and they go down the 
broad road that leads to the old woman and she gives them over 
to the man in the boat and he takes them over and leaves them 
in the wilderness where the}' live in misery until the judgement 
day and then are destroyed forever, there being no salvation for 
them and the family will be looked down upon for many 
generations to come and held back in taking part in any of 
their social funcitions. The children will be shunned by their 
playmates. The Indian seldom commits suicide and will avoid 
self-destruction by wishing that some wild animal will take them 
while they sleep, and of such cases they tell some very weird 
and touching tales. There was a girl taken by a wild animal of 
which reference is made in another chapter. Another was a 



DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 77 

young man of good family belonging to the Pec-wan village and 
he wanted to marry a girl of the upper division. The young 
woman refused him and this nearly broke his heart, so he went 
back into the mountains all alone and there he busied himself 
by trapping and hunting until he had accumulated great riches 
of valuable furs and other things and was there for a number of 
years when he returned to his home. He never married and 
lived to be an old man and all the children called him grandpa. 
As he became old he also became blind but the children all loved 
him and any of them were always ready to lead him wherever 
he wanted to go, and he was always ready to give blessings to 
the newly married couples and to newly born babies. He always 
wanted to visit where there was a new born baby. This old 
man would sweep and keep clean the vallage, even down to the 
creek and river, feeling and sweeping the whole day long and 
when he was tired some of the children would lead him home, 
and he thus lived to a good old age. So this is the way it 
would go in accordance with their belief in the hereafter. A 
Klamath Indian would never commit suicide if there was anj^ 
way to prevent it on account of the stigma it would place 
on the family. 

The Klamath Indian grave is made about two and a half 
feet deep. They take redwood or Douglas spruce boards which 
they place in the oblong square as they never nail or fasten the 
boards together. Placing one wide board in the bottom and 
boards on each side with short ones fitted in across the ends, 
the coffin is made ready to receive the corpse. 

At the time of death the body is washed with the branches 
of the wormwood dipped into a basket of water and brushed 
over the entire body, never allowing their hands to touch the 
body at any time if it can be avoided. After the body has been 
bathed in this manner it is clothed in the regular clothing and 
laid out for burial, wrapped in a blanket and placed on a wide 
plank where it is left for twenty-four hours. After it has been 
laid out friends and relatives gather around it in prayer, and the 
director of the funeral is given a large bunch of flag grasses, 
which he takes in his hand and holds over the blaze of the fire 
to ignite and with flaming grasses he stands over the body wav- 
ing it back and forth sprinkling the falling ashes over thebody. 



78 DEATH AM) THE SPIRIT LAND 

Tliis is tlu' final iilcssino- iiivcii with solemn prayer, the same as 
anointing the body with li()l>- water. 

The Indians remove the corpse from the house (the reasons 
being exj^lained in another chapter) l)y making an opening in the 
wall on the lc>ft hand side of the door by which they go out, as 
they never curry a corpse thi'ough the door. The personal be- 
longings and bedding, also the dishes he has used during his ill- 
ness are taken out through this opening upon tlie removal of the 
body and evcMTthing is bui'ucMl in a large fire made outside of 
the house. 

With gr(>at (•(>r(unony and mourning the corj^se is carried 
out of the house on the same plank it was laid out on. At the 
grave they um-oll the corpse from the ])lanket, the clothing being 
cut open down the front, the body washed again, this time with- 
out the removal of the clothing. This final bath is a solution 
of the Ho-mon-nah roots pounded fine as powder and then put 
into a basket of water. This shrub or j^lant is much different 
from the wormwood, and it is considered one of their best herl)s 
for fumigation and disinfecting purposes. After the bath is com- 
pleted the body is again wrapped in the blanket and laid care- 
fully down in the grave. The funeral director, as before, burns 
a bunch of flag grasses over the body, allow^ing the ashes to fall 
over the remains. Articles they wish to [)lace in the grave with 
the body are put into the grave and the plank that the body 
was carried out on is fitted into the top of the coffin as the top 
(•overing. Three or four persons take part as i)all-bearers in tak- 
ing the Ijody to the grave. The l)ody is laid with the head 
directly to the west as they say when the judgement day comes 
all the Indians will rise up out of their graves facing the rising 
sun, and those who are worthy will rise in glory to the splentlors 
of glory to the Heavenly Fathei- above. 

-In this grave things of little value are placed, things 
usually I)elonging to the deceased. When things of value are 
placed in the grave it is broken up which destroys the value of 
the article. 

The coffin is covered over with earth, and after this lieing 
completed they take two stones about eighteen inches long l)y 
twelve inches wide, one is placed at the head and the other one 
at the foot of the grave. On the top of the stones directly in 
the middle of the grave they place another wide plank about six 



DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 79 

feet long and eighteen inches wide. Stakes are driven on each 
side of this plank in the middle and \\ath a rope of Indian make 
they tie the board to the stakes so it can not be removed with- 
out some difficulty. After this has been completed some dry 
sand is sprinkled around the grave and covering it completely to 
the sides of the wide board, this is done so the Indians can 
immediately detect if any one has molested the grave. The 
reason w^hy the Indians always haye their grave-yards near the 
village or dwelling places is to keep the wild animals away from 
the grave. Sometimes the mourners place large baskets on the 
grave, sometimes two and often many more, there is no certain 
number to use. They are turned upside down, close up to the 
sides of the plank and on the ground around the grave. These 
l)askets are made secure by driving a stake through the center 
of them and into the ground. On top of the plank they lay 
basket plates, also acorn baskets. Around the grave a picket 
fence is made by driving the pickets into the ground, a strong 
hazel withe is tied around them about twelve inches below the 
tops. At the middle of the head and the foot of the grave a 
strong post is driven into the ground that stands much higher 
than the tops of the pickets. To these posts a cross-beam is 
fastened or tied and on this a number of deer-skins are hung. 
These skins are dressed whole with the hair left on and the body 
and head are stuffed with weeds. The head is elevated almost 
perpendicular with the body and the legs are left hanging straight 
down. Some of the clothes that have been worn by the deceased 
are also hung on this cross-beam which makes quite a display 
and would lead one to believe very strongly that many valuables 
were also placed in the grave. 

During and after the burial is completed all the close 
relatives of the deceased weep and wail mournful songs, saying 
good-by child, or calling out whatever relationship they were to 
the deceased. The mournful wail of an Indian mourner is so in- 
tensely sad that the surrounding sky and earth seem weeping 
with the sorrowful ones. 

After the burial rites have been completed those who had 
taken part in the burial go into the family sweat-house where 
they wash their entire bodies from the basket of water containing 
the ho-mon-nah solution and sw^eat themselves in the sweat-house. 
After this they all go to the river taking the basket of solution 



80 DKATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 

with them and batlie with it in tlie i-ivcM-. Upon returning to 
the house they all change their clothes except the one who dug 
the grave and he puts on the same clothing and wears it for 
five days longer before he is free from the burial rites. His duty 
now is to kindle a fire which he kee{)s burning about a couple 
of hours each evening close by the foot of the grave. This fire 
is made between the hours when the first long shadows are cast 
and the twilight gathers into the darkness of the night. They 
say the flickering of the fire-light keeps them from seeing the 
o'quirth, the spirit of the departed one, which is said to hover 
over the grave and around the home for five days after death. 
After five days have elapsed the spirit departs cither to Heaven 
or to the wilderness, according to what kind of life the deceased 
has lived. The friends and relatives of the deceased ^^^ll weep, 
wail and pray that his spirit will go the narrow road, to the old 
land, Cheek-cheek-alth, where it will find the ladder and climb 
to Werse-on-now (Heaven). Sometimes a Intter enemy of the 
deceased will pray and hope the departed spirit Avill go the roatl 
to Sye-elth where she hands him over to the man in the dead 
boat where he takes the spirit across the riven- and banishes it 
into the wilderness. 

The light of the fire keeps the Indians from seeing the 
spirit when it leaves the grave as they never wish to behold 
spirits. However, they claim, in spite of their caution, the spirit 
is sometimes seen by the Indians. They say when it leaves the 
body it looks like a shadow image of the person passing off. 
They claim a photograph resembles the spirit of the dead and 
the old Indians never want to look at it as they never wish to 
be reminded of the spii'it. 

The walls and the floor of the i-ooni which the person used 
is scrubbed eveiy day witli the ho-mon-nah solution, also wliat- 
e\'er furniture there is in the room is gone over very carefully 
with the disinfecting piocess and is kept up for five days until 
the spirit dei)ai'ts. The family lives in the same room as usual, 
but Cah-ma-tow, the grave digger has his own seperate bed in 
the rocnn. He fixes a small board for himself on which his meals 
are served separate from the family and dines by himself. 
The morning of the fifth day he arises earlier than usual, mak- 
ing a broom of the boughs of the Douglas spruce and sweeps the 



DEATH AND THE SPIRIT LAND 81 

floor of the house nice and clean. He burns the roots of the 
ho-mon-nah which fumigates the house and witli solution made of 
the same plant he scrubs the floor and goes over all the wood- 
work in the house for the last time. After this is- finished he 
gathers up all the things he has used during the five days, the 
baskets of solution, his small board table, etc., and takes them 
all to the sweat-house. Hei'e he takes the solution and washes 
his hands and entire body and after he has finished bathing he 
takes the baskets and clothes he has worn up the hill away from 
the river to a thicket and hangs them all up in a small tree, 
where he leaves them to the elements to decay. He then comes 
back and sweats himself thoroughly, afterwards plunging into the 
liver and comes out cleansed of any foul disease he may have 
contracted in handling the dead body. 

The Indians get or hire any one who is willing to do the 
burial as it is not necessary to be a relative or even a well 
known friend of the family. 

During the five days the opening in the house where the 
dead bocly was taken out is left open as the family and friends 
never use or go near the regular door of the house during this 
period. After five days have elapsed the opening in the wall is 
ceiled up tightly leaving no trace that an opening was ever made 
in the wall. They never leave the gap for another case as the 
Indian never wants to be reminded that another death may 
occur in his household. 

It has often been expressed by the white man that when 
a funeral is held every man, woman and child in the village 
attends the funeral, this is far from being true, not any more 
than the funeral of a white man. Near friends and relatives of 
the deceased may attend while a great many others in the 
village will go about as usual, not even pretending to know that 
a funeral is being held. Of recent years the white man is allowed 
to help with the burial if he chooses. Valuable articles of the 
dead are not buried with them as is generally believed by the 
white theologist, instead only mere trifles of either little or no 
value placed in and upon the grave. 

When an Indian is very wealthy or rich, and has a family 
of several children he sometimes divides his fortune equally 
among them, of course always making provision for his wife as 
as long she lives and remains single. Sometimes he has a favorite 



82 DEATH AND THK SPIRIT LAND 

son or (laughter to whom he k'uvc's liis (Mitirc fortuiu\ disiulu'rit- 
ing his other chihhcn. Th(» Iiuhan h>j;;U'y is IxMHunitcd to whom 
he chooses and iiis will cannot be l)roken. In some cases the 
wife's wealth' is just as gi'cat or v\-(n\ ii,]va{or than her husl)an(rs. 
She divides her wealth amonii; her children as she chooses, the 
same as hei' husband. 

When husband and wife ha\-e been wculded a numlx'i' of 
years and have rea]'(Ml a largie faniil\-, ujxin the tleath of the 
husband the wife cuts her hair close to her head and burns it. 
She keci)s her hair cut close to her head and is called Ca-win 
until some one proposes marriage to her when she lets it grow 
out to its natui-al length again. If she refuses the offer of 
marriage, after her hair has grown ovei' two inches in length, 
she is addressed as Care-rep. This name explains itself, that she 
is a widow and has had an offer of marriage but has refused it. 
The sisters and daughters of a deceased man sometimes cut off' 
a part of their hair during their ])ei'iod of mourning for him. 



M w M S#i S#i mi mi 



CHAPTER VII. 



THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN. 



LONCi time ago a mother and father resided in Cor-tep village, 
in the house of Metch-cher-rau, located about a half-mile 
up the river from the old Klamath Bluffs store. They 
had two good children, a boy and girl, the girl being the eldest. 
Brother and sister loved each other divinely; their devotion was 
more divine than human hearts had ever known. Their parents 
were very wealthy, and were married of a good marriage cere- 
mony of the wealthy class. Metch-cher-us-ah-may, the sister, 
was the most lovely of all the girls of the tribe; besides her rare 
beauty she possessed a kind and loving disposition beyond com- 
parison. When she had grown to womanhood, she went to the 
Talth, or High Priests, and asked them if she might join the 
sacred lodge. But the High Priests sadly shook their heads, 
and said they could never admit her to the sacred lodge, as her 
parents were not of high birth, and that she was not of the 
Talth marriage. Her pleadings were in vain, and she turned 
away from the lodge deeply grieved, realizing that she 
had been barred forever from the sacred altar of the High Priests, 
and that she could never l)ecome a Talth, or mix with the 
Priests. It would be useless to plead again; she was denied 
their solitary ways of worship and she could never sit in their 
lodge and kindle their sacred fires. Her proud spirit was grieved 
and wounded almost beyond human endurance; a great battle 
now waged within her heart, that God Himself might take her 
above herhumble birth and station in life, that she might rise in 
greatness beyond the glories of the High Priests, as she would 
walk in Heaven, and they on earth until death claimed its own- 
She would rise from her bed about four o'clock every 
morning while the villages where yet dark and sleeping and go 



84 THROrCH THE PKARLY (;ATES OF HEAVEN 

to gather wood, praying as she gathennl the branches in her 
basket, and when it was filled she would return to her house, 
praying all the while, and leave the wood there long before any 
one was astir to see her at work. After this task was done she 
would go to a high rock on the hill-side in a small creek, a short 
distance from the Cor-tep village, where she would spend the entire 
day on top of this rock, praying to God and weaving baskets. 
There was a small basin of water in this solid rock close by 
where she sat, which she used to keep her basket materials wet 
as she worked them. The I'ock was very high when she sat upon 
it long ages ago, but it is nearly covered with earth at this 
present writing. At evening-tide she would leturn to her home. 
So earnest were her prayers, so patient was her humble soul in 
waiting that she prayed a number of years on top of this rock, 
ere her pra\'ers where answered in Heaven. Praying in the great 
solitudes of a vast creation she never faltered, but prayed on to 
the Heavenly Father that he might give her strength and courage 
to become far more pure than any that had ever lived on earth 
before her, that she might rise as a virgin of purity above her 
people, leaving in "her footsteps the holy halo when she had pass- 
ed from the earth away to the realms of Heaven above. 

This beautiful woman, made far more beautiful in her 
purity, the sublime whiteness of her soul shining forth, transfigur- 
ed beyond the glories of womanhood. After these years of faith- 
ful prayer, dark suspicions and intrigues ro.se from the people of 
the villages, as her actions seemed so strange and why one so 
beautiful should always be solitary. No doubt some youth was 
yearning for the beauty of her arms to encircle him, the sweet- 
ness of her smile had fasinated all, as her sweetness was so per- 
fect. She was always alone, and there did not seem to be any- 
thing to i)revent it. Daj' by day the village felks grew more 
restless in their surmises of their doul)ts and fears for her safety, 
and they brought the tale to her parents who accused her of 
clandestine meetings with some unscrupulous man who no doubt 
had ruined her virtuous woman-hood, and that they would soon 
cast her from the village in disgrace if she persisted in her lone 
walks to the woods in the early morning and kept solitary place 
on the rock durnig the day. 

How unjust we sometimes accuse th(> innocent; how deep 
the wounds we thrust that we mourn in after years in sad regret 



THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 85 

of our cruel words spoken when God has taken them away and 
they no longer soothe our dark afflictions. Rising in wounded 
pride once more she proclaimed her innocence, that her soul was 
free from this preposterous accusation. So long she had been 
patient and true, so long she had denied herself the pleasures 
and passions of earth, directing her thoughts to lofty ideals she 
could proudl}^ verify when the time came for her to go to the 
Throne on High, when the Heavenly Father would call her to 
the Eternal Home. She said she could not tell her parents and 
the people her reasons and account for her actions now; why she 
would always get up so early in the morning to get her wood, 
and why she spent the entire days upon the rock. But she 
assured them that they would all know at a future time why 
she spent so many hours of solitude, this time would be when 
God called her Home, and they would repent for their cruel ac- 
cusations. 

During these years of patient prayer, brother and sister 
met in loving companionship of sympathy and exchanging the 
prayer of their ambitions. IMetch-cher-us-ah-chene, the brother, 
knew the secret prayers of his devout sister, and by them his 
thoughts were directed to higher ideals. Pledged by solemn 
vows, he would never make known her secret prayers, until she 
herself was ready for him to do so. They prayed together, he 
alone at his fishing, she alone on the high rock at her basket 
weaving, their prayers united. However, his faith in God was 

not so strong, and his prayers were not so earnest as his sister's, 
that the future years left him alone on earth to mourn her 
loss. 

Metch-cher-us-ah-may heeded not the wai'nings of her 
people as she continued to rise in the early morning hours to 
gather her wood before the light of day, so that no one would 
feast their unscrupulous eyes upon her while she was at work. 
After this task was done she would go as usual to the high rock 
and weave baskets the whole day through until evening, saying 
her prayers all the while. 

Spring time had come when all the leaves of the trees and 
shrubbery had grown up, and the sap of the maple tree was full. 
Metch-cher-us-ah-may peeled the maple tree of its bark and took 
the inner layers that grow upon the surface of the hard wood of 
the tree and out of this l)ark she made a dress of beautiful 



86 TIIK(>r(;il THK PEAHI.V (lATES OF HEAVEN 

fringes, softer than silk itself, as it hun^ in ripples about her 
body. From the yellow-hammer she plucked its beautiful gold- 
en feathers and made a cape in which she \vrapi)ed her shoulders 
and arms. Si)ring-time waned and mid-summer came; it was 
the last Summer that she would sjiend on earth, as her faithful 
prayers had l)een answered and she was now ready to be taken 
to Werse-on-now (Heaven). Ah, she could now mount to the 

glories of Fleaven without passing through that dark and shadowy 
vale of death. The High Priests, who luid turned her away 
from the scared lodge, together with the other people, would all 
have to die and the earth would give them a grave. Their 
hands w(nild nev(>r touch her body, the earth would give her no 
grave, but instead, her body would l)e carried- through the winds 
and storms until she reached that Infinite Shore where she would 
dwell in the flowery meadows of Heaven. 

The evening before the day of her departure she brought 
all of her baskets she had made to her home and gave all of 
her wealth to her brother, telling him to watch for her in the 
early morning, as she was departing for a far l>etter throne than 
she had ever known upon earth. In the early morning hours, 
ere the sun was shining over the mountains of the Klamath, she 
bathed her body with sweet scented herbs, put on her new maple 
di-ess and draped her shoulders with the gorgeous dyes of the 
>'ellow-hammer feathers, her long raven locks were combed and 
left flowing about her shoulders. Bidtling her brother good-bye, 
lu> beheld her mount the rock where she had sat so many years 
in devout prayer; he alone saw her rise from the earth to go to 
the realms above. Swift as the lightning from Heaven she mount- 
ed the rock, bowing to the gi(>at creation of the world with her 
arms outstretched and her beautiful hair flowing, she stood ei'ect 
with her face to Heaven in the nortii with her eyes closed. Out 
of the north, on his mighty wings, rose the red eagle and came 
to her feet on the rock. Dipping h(M- hand to the west, to the 
land of the setting sun, she baile the world fare-W(>ll and mount- 
ed the eagle's back. W'itli outstreched wings, gorgeously tipped 
in crimson, he rose from the rock with his fair princess mounted 
secuicly upon his back, and flew witli hci- to the far noith from 
whence he came. In the early dawn of the rising sun, in all the 
glories of Indian sununer, her l)rother saw her mount the eagle 



THTOUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 87 

and fly away to the Kingdom of Heaven, passing not through 
the gates of death. 

She sat on the eagle's back through the long journey, 
with her eyes always closed, her arms raised above her shoulders 
and her hands folded at the back of her head and neck. The 
eagle on his long journey north to the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, 
commanded her not to open her eyes, though the storms from 
Heaven may feel severe against her face and body. Rising from 
the earth she felt the heat of the still Indian Summer beat like 
fire upon her. Far away they soared and the eagle said, "You 
will now feel the mighty winds of Heaven sweep around you in 
piercing gales, but do not open your eyes." Far up through the 
winds they soared and she opened her eyes not. Far on they 
flew and he said again, "You will feel the rain pouring in tor- 
rents upon you, but you must never open your eyes." Through 
the rain they went until he again said, "You will feel the now cold 
fall like piercing blades of ice but you must never open your 
eyes." Through the piercing cold they flew, her eyes always 
shut, until he said again, "You will now feel the snow fall thick 
and fast upon you, but you must not open your eyes." Through 
the mighty winds and the cold, fierce storms of Heaven they had 
flown, until the eagle at last exclaimed, "You will feel the warmth 
of pleasant summer again, open your eyes and I will leave you 
in that sublime land of Cheek-chcek-alth." She opened her eyes 
for the first time during her long flight through the airy regions 
and beheld the beautious land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the old land 
that gave birth to our people long ages ago. She now stood up- 
on the banks of the most sublime river the world has ever 
known, with its hallowed charms and brillant gems of fortune, 
its mystic waters of transparent brillancj^ flowing sweet and 
peaceful through the valley of Cheek-cheek-alth. On the shores 
of this wonderful river she beheld millions of the dead turk-tum 
(short shells of the Indian money) shining from the sands of the 
water. From this river long centuries ago, when the Indians 
first left their native land in search of the new world they 
brought with them the cheek, or Indian money. They say this 
money is found in no other clime except in the old land of 
Cheek-cheek-alth, the land of their birth. They do not use the 
dead turk-tum washed upon the banks of the river for money, 
but fish for the live cheek in the river which they catch the 



S8 TIlROrCII THE PEARLY (iATES ()F HEAVEN 

same as fish, ami out of these live shells make their cheek or 
money. This money through the long evolution of centuries has 
been handed down from one generation to another. 

In the land of Cheek-cheek-alt h, this divine princess foun<l 
the ladder that goes to Heaven and climbed it, round by round, 
until she reached Heaven. All of her tribulations of (nirth were 
finished, the false accusations of cruel friends could no longer 
thrust their wounds into hcv blameless soul as she now sat 
glorified on a Throne of Eternal Si)lendors, truly a Saint in 
Heaven. 

Several days had elapsed since the departure of Metch- 
cher-us-ah-may and the people l)egan to incjuire why she return- 
no more to the house at night-fall. They went in search of her 
and found the wood baskets she had used here on earth, left on 
top of the high rock where she had taken her flight. Her brother 
then informed them that his sister hatl gone to Werse-on-now as 
he had beheld the vision himself. The parents recalling to mind 
the harsh words spoken of their dark suspicions concerning their 
saint-like daughter, wept and wailed most bitterly, and were 
l)owed down with heavy hearts and sad regrets, that one so true 
could no longer stay on earth; that God should so early call the ^ 
divine and true to His Eternal Home. 

The brother who had loved his sister so devotedly, recalled 
to memory the tender devotion of her trying years of patience. 
Heart wrung with the strange pathetic life of his sister and the charm 
of its beautiful ending, he wept until his proud heart seemed 
broken asundei-. Weeping tears of blood it seemed, from the 
heart that loved so nuich, for the gentle hand that touched his 
brow, the hallowed form, the low voice and cheering smile was 
gone forever. 

After a few days, the bitter wailing of her parents and the 
intense gri(>f of her brother was answered by the gentle Saint 
hereself. Her spirit came earthw'ard in a shadowy image, or 
o'quirlth, and appeared before her loved ones, soothing them 
with gentle words of compassion in their dark hours of grief and 
sad regrets, assuring them that she dwelt h safely beyond the 
Pearly Gates of Heaven, in the infinte meadows of beauty and 
light. Their misgivings no longt>r wounded, for her spirit survived 
in peace and happiness and for them to wee]) bitterly no more. 



THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 89 

Her spirit faded from the earth, leaving her parents assured of 
the eternal years of her greatness, a Saint in Heaven. 

Her brother, Metch-cher-us-ah-chene, could not be comfort- 
ed long, as he had only known a sister's love and tender devo- 
tion. Day by day he grieved more and more in his lonliness, a 
sorrow that knows no comfort when the loved one has gone to 
realms beyond. His grief became so great that he could not 
long endure it, when her spirit answered him in his lonUness 
once more. This time she appeared before him in her living 
form as she had lived on earth, and brother and sister met in 
sweet earthly communion for the last time as she would return 
to comfort them no more. She lifted that heavy veil of sorrow 
from his heart and gave him courage in earthly things again. 
She instructed him go to to a riffle on the Klamath river, opposite 
the old Klamath Bluffs store and fish there for twelve days, at 
the end of which he would catch a small fish about the size of 
one's little finger, and that this fish would have many white rings 
encircling its body. This fish as soon as it was caught was to 
be put in an elk-horn Indian purse, which is beautifully carved 
out of the elk's horn and polished smooth on the internal and 
external surfaces. They sometimes carve and color very artistic 
designs upon them, cutting out a small oblong lid in the middle 
of the purse which they fit on it after putting the money in and 
wrap the lid on securel}'^ with a strip of buck-skin, 

Metch-cher-us-ah-chene fished on the riffle for twelve days 
as directed by his sister and at the closing of the twelfth day 
he caught the small fish, which he put in the elk-horn purse, 
and then the raven, or qua-gawk, came to him and said for him 
to mount his back, which he did and then the raven command- 
ed him to close his eyes and keep them tightly closed until he 
was told to open them. The raven flew with him through sunny 
regions, rain, cold, sleet, snow and over icy fields, taking the 
same route that the red eagle had flown v^ith his sister. Over 
the icy fields he could feel the ice with his hands, then after this 
the raven sat him down in a warm place and commanded him 
him to keep his eyes closed, and the raven flew on and left him 
alone for a short time. While alone he began to feel around as 
he could not open his eyes, he felt in the sandy soil around him 
and felt that it was covered with cheek, (the shell of the Indian 
money) and he began to rake it up in heaps around him. When 



90 THHorcii THE pi:ai{lv cates of heaven 

tlu' nwcu rcluriuHl \w said tliat he must leave the cheek where 
it was found, as it was too heavy to carry so fai'. Metch-cher- 
us-ah-chene mounted the raven's hack again and away they flew 
to the land of Cheek-cheek-alth, which was only a short distance 
from where raven liad first left him. I'pou aniving in this land, 
the raven set him down on the hanks of the wonderful river, 
Wer-roy, wiiere the climate is always wai'm and pleasant, the 
vall(\v f()rev(>i' <j;reen and the fruits and flowers forever hlomed 
through one long i)erpetual sunnner day. On the l)anks of this 
gloi-ious riven- the niven said for him to open his eyes and fish 
in its hi'illiant waters for one of the li\ing cheek, or little shell 
fish. Fishing in this river of sul)lim(^ Ixnuity he caught this rare 
and i)reci()us shell fish which the raven said he nmst put in the 
elk-horn i)Uise with the other fish his sister had told him to 
catch in the Klamath river. He put the two fishes together as 
he had been instructed, and lo, vast liches soon follow(>d. The 
fish he had caught in the Klamatk was the female fish, while 
the one he had caught in the riven- of ( 'heek-cheek-alth was the 
male fish. 

Alelch-cher-us-ah-chene mounted the raven's back again, 
the raven instructing him to keep his (\ves -closed as before, and 
th(^y flew back to the Klamath rivei-, back to the C'or-tep village. 
When they i-eached the Klamath river the i-aven instructed him 
to make twelve of these elk horn purses as large as the horns 
would iiermit and he made twelve of the largest kind that he 
c(nild, and as the male and female cheek would breed little cheek 
in the small purse he would take the young cheek just as soon 
as they were large enough and place them in one of the larger 
purses. He kept on breeding cheek in this way until he had all 
of his large purses filled with money, or cheek, and he now 
l)egan putting the cJieek in a large l)asket. His i-iches were 
growing so large that he did not know what he was going to do 
with so nuich money. Finding liims(>lf so lonely in the midst 
of his vast riches he wooed a wift> from the Pec-toolth village 
wher(> the; Trinity river Hows into the Klamath. Following the 
custom of marriage his name was changed to Pec-tow, adopting 
his wife's name, and she taking his name. After they had been 
married but a short time his ambitions died within him and he 
lost interest in his woik and neglected the teachings of bis sister. 
Now the two fishes made their escape from the breeding purse 



THROUGH THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN 91 

and turned into a worm or bug, about an inch long, \\ith white 
and black stripes on their bodies and two long horns on their 
heads. These worms can be found along the river banks around 
the large rocks, and the Indjans always consider it good luck to 
find one of them, as they catch and put them away in a purse 
to keep them for good luck. After the escape of these fishes he 
no longer had the powei- to accumulate vast I'iches and ill luck 
followed. 

His wife gave birth to a handsome boy, but it was said 
that God was displeased and caused the child to die. A second 
child was born to them, this time a beautiful baby girl, but it 
died also. A third child was born, another beautiful baby girl, 
but God too took it away as he had taken the others. A fourth 
child to this unhappy couple was born, a boy, it was still said 
that God was chspleased with his marriage, and the handsome 
bal)e followed its brother and sisters in Hcwen. At the death 
of the fourth child, Metch-cher-us-ah-chene becuiie very sad and 
thoughtful. So sad and heavy was his heart that earth seemed 
to him but. dreary waste without the noise and prattle of his 
I eautiful babies. He thought long and could not understand 
why God took the innocent and pure away to His Heavenly 
Home so soon. 

Rising in the early morning he would weep as he went up 
the mountain side to gather a load of sweat-house wood, and 
with this on his shoulders he started to the sweat-house in the 
village, singing and weeping as he went, "I-a-ciuay, tus," saying 
he was very sorry for his children. The mourner sat down to 
rest, putting the load of wood on the gi'ound and resting his 
I ack and shoulders against the load. When he had rested 
sufficiently, he tried to rise with his load in the usual manner 
but there was a heavy weight on his load and he could not rise; 
as if some one was holding him down. He looked around but 
saw no one, so he tried again and was able to rise with the 
wood. He sat down a second time and rested with his wood 
and as before when he began to rise up he could not, but after 
looking around and seeing no one, he was able to get up all 
right. He sat down and rested a third time when the same 
thing happened and upon reaching home he made a fire in the 
sweat-house and sweated himself in the usual manner, after 



92 TiiRorc.H Tin: pkauly gates of heaven 

which he went to the river and t(K)is: a cold plunge in the water. 
Coming out of the plunge he went hack to the sweat-house and 
seated himself in front of the door, and gazed far off in the dis- 
tance, imagining that he could see the spirit, O'ciuirlth. 
and at the same time his wife was calUng him to dinner. He 
continued to sit there gazing far beyond the earth. He (Ud not 
answer hei- calls, his spirit had gone to join his sister in Werse- 
on-now, where she resided in Heaven with God. There you may 
see brother and sister straying together in the infinite meadows 
of Heaven and about them his beautiful babes, the pure l)uds of 
the blooming meadows. 

After the death of Metch-cher-us-ah-chene his wife returned 
to her native village at Peck-toolth where the Trinity and the 
Klamath rivers come together. She took with her the large 
basket with cheek, (money) and after a time married a man of 
the Weitchpec village which is located on the north side of the 
Klamath river opposite the mouth of the Trinity river. From 
her second marriage she had one son, and ail the cheek she had 
brought with her made these two villages very vu-\\ from this 
time on. 



ivVwSeV'5 c\iV&^V'5 c\ivSAV'3 cliwafer? ^\VVfer'V'5 iViV^/'^ cvwWey'^ c\iV&*r5 
cXr\«?^r^ cXl^W>vv cX^i^^vv c\!As?^r^ cXr\s?>JK5 cXrAS^vV cX!AS?vv cXr\®?Vv 
V%Ssvf-5 V\Ss\a-5 V\SvJ^5 V^'^vJ^^ V^SvJ^5 V>Sv/-7 V^Ssv^5 V^SSv^? 



CHAPTER VIII. 
BURIAL CUSTOMS: 

WHY THE DEAD ARE NEVER TAKEN 
THROUGH THE DOOR 

MANY generations ago, there was a woman born and rear- 
ed at a village called Os-sa-gon and which is located 
some six or seven miles south of the mouth of the 
Klamath river, on the ocean shore. Some years ago this place 
was a very large village of the Klamath Indians. 

When this woman had grown into beautiful womanhood 
she was wooed and won by a young man of the Wah-teck village, 
which is located near the old Klamath Bluffs store and near 
the White Deer-shin dancing grounds. They were both of 
wealthy families, and celebrated their nuptials of good ceremony 
of the middle class. During their wedded life they were very 
happy together, three little ones came to bless this happy union, 
one boy and two girls. After the third child was born the hus- 
band became very ill and entered into the shadowv valley of 
death, leaving his young widow and children to mourn his un- 
timel}^ departure. 

Up until his death, it had always been the custom of the 
Indians to take the dead body out of the house through the 
door, and as they carried it through thej^ would take the ashes 
from the fire-place in the house and throw them through the 
door as the body was carried out. The ash dust was allowed to 
remain until the wind had swept it away. This had been their 
custom from generation to generation. They had performed the 
same rite with him but in this a strange coincidence happened 
which changed their custom in removing the dead from the house. 

After his burial was over and his wife had once more be- 
come reconciled to her dailj^ routine of work, she would sit and 
weave baskets with her face toward the door, which was contrary 
to the Indian teachings, as one should never sit facing the door 



1)4 BURIAL CUSTOMS 

l)Ut must :ihv:i\"s sit with tlicir hades turned uik)Ii it. She (hd 
not think tliis tcachini;- of an\' iin]K)rtance and al\va_\s sat with 
her face toward the door while at woriv on her baskets, and at 
short inter^■als she would look up from her basket and glance at 
the dooi'. 

Nearly a year had ela|)sed, when one day while she was 
sittino- w(\iving hvv basket, thinking intently of her husband, how 
happy their wedded life had been, how dc\-oi(Mll\- she had lov(>d 
him in life and how deeply she mourned his loss, .seemingly his 
departed spirit answered her from the unknown woi'ld. (dancing 
up at the dooi' she beheld his spii'it, and diopjx'd her basket 
with a sudden cry of joy and sprang to the door that she might 
take him in her arms, that he might never more leave her in 
hei' lonlinness. Instead of her husband, the loved one, she 

caught in her arms the post which stands as a- supi)orting col- 
umn on the outside of the inner door, or between the inner and 
outer door of the Indian house. Her conscious self left her as 
she thought he was tiying to get away from her, and, thinking 
that she had fastened her hold upon his leg, instead she was 
clinging to the post. Her onee supjile i)ody and limbs became 
as rigid as iron when her children and folks gathered around her 
and tried to make her let go of the iK)st, but their efforts were 
of no avail for she only clung the tighter. At last they were 
compelled to cut away the post before they were al)le to move 
her to a bed, where they did everything possil)l(^ to restore her. 
She remained in this state of unconcsiousness for sevei'al days, 
when they decided to take her down to the river and put her 
into a canoe. They took her down as far as Blue Creek (Ur- 
ner), some eight miles, and then turning back and coming up 
the river to Notch-co, some eight miles above the Wah-teck 
village, making sixteen miles in all. In these sixteen miles the 
river changes its course from due north swinging around in the 
different bends, west to nearly south. They kept taking the 
woman uj) and down the river the whole Smnmer, until late in 
the Autumn, and kept her ali\(' during this period by nourishing 
her with the mai-row fat from the leg l)ones of the deer, of 
which they tipplied to her lips and breasts by rul)bing. When 
she had fully regained her consciousness she would, during all 
her spare time, weave baskets. The main frame or ril) work of 
the basket are hazel switches wliich is called ho-lealth. In draw- 



BURIAL CUSTOMS 95 

ing or weaving the work in and out over the switches they turn to 
the left-hand side and the basket-maker always keeps a basket 
of w'ater within her reach, and at short intervals dips her hand 
into the water, moistens the switches and straightens them back 
into their proper places, thus building the basket up straight. 
This woman never straightened back the switches of her basket, 
therefore, they were made into a round twist. The children 
would say to their mother, (Calk) "Why don't you straighten the 
switches on your basket ?" She would always reply, "Never 
mind, that is alright", and tell them to stop talking so much 
about her basket weaving. She kept on weaving baskets in this 
manner until all of hei- children had grown up into man and 
woman-hood. 

One evening as the twilight was fast gathering into dark- 
ness, she was sitting w.)rking on her baskets as usual, ^\^th her 
basket material around her, she simply said, "My time has come 
my husband is waiting for me." She picked up her basket she 
was weaving and placed it on the fire, saying her spirit, O'quirlth, 
would have it to use while she was leaving for the world beyond 
the grave, and died. Her children and her husband's folks had 
gathered around in her last dying moments. 

The Indians now keep the dead body for one whole day, 
(twenty-four hours) to satisfy themselves that life has actually 
departed. They bury the body and after it is laid in the grave, 
they say that the spirit, (^'(juirlth, remains hovering around the 
living and near the newly made grave for five days. When five 
days have elapsed the spirit departs, and if the individual has 
lived a good moral life, his spirit goes to Cheek-cheek-alth, there 
finds the ladder and climbs to God, where he dwells forever in 
eternal happiness. If he is a mean and degraded wretch his 
spirit goes the broad road to the old woman and the dog, where 
she hands him over to the man in the dead boat and he takes 
the wicked spirit across the river and leaves him to wail in the 
wilderness of anguish until the judgement day. 

When that woman died they did not take her thi'ough the 
door, but made an opening in the wall on the left hand side of 
the door as one stands on the inside of the house facing the 
door. From this time on they have never taken a dead body 
through the door, but always make an opening in the side of the 



96 BT^HIAl. CUSTOMS 

house on tlic K'tt hand <'h\v, through whicli they take the body. 
The Indians tench their chikhen never to stop or stand in the 
door-way, in going or coming in. One will never see any one, 
old or young, stop, stand or sit in the door of an Indian house. 
Since the death of this woman they always burn the basket 
matei"ial of the deceased, or any unfinished work that belongs to 
the one that has just died. 

There is a course grass, a sort of saw grass, that grows 
on tlie ridges and under the tan-oaks and fir timljer which they 
use in nearly all their baskets, and this grass we call ham-mo. 
When one dies and the body is taken out of the house, they 
place some of this woven grass over the door on the inside, in a 
manner that one would not notice it, unless it was shown to 
them. The family will wear strands around their necks, and 
this is done to prevent them from seeing or meeting the spirit 
which hovers around and near the body for five days before de- 
parting for the unknown realms beyond. 

The custom of cutting the hair on the death of a near 
kindred extends back to the time when they were in the old 
land, Cheek-cheek-alth. 






CHAPTER IX. 



THE INDIAN DEVIL. 



THE Klamath Indians in bringing down their legends from 
the creation of man until the present day, say that some 
were made to be good and honorable, some bad and some 
were real })ad and mean, which they termed devils, or Oh-ma-ha. 
We have the conception of the invisable Satan, (Sey-elth, or 
wicked old woman) and a real living devil such as walks the 
earth, and we fear them as they will harm us if they get the 
opportunity. We have had these living Indian devils (living 
human beings) all through the long and weary centuries, ever 
since the creation of man-kind, such devils as we find in every 
race and nation of the earth. Our Indian devils are Indians who 
for some reason or cause leave the tribe and go far away into 
the lonely mountains, and into the depths of the forests, where 
they live near the streams and places almost inaccessible. In 
their loneliness they roam through the forests and over the 
mountains like some wild animals of prey. They forget the 
language of their mothers and become something like wild 
lieasts, fleeing from the sight of human beings. 

In olden times, the women, especially were always careful 
to keep together on their camping trips when they were gather- 
ing the acorn crop, grass seeds, pine nuts, etc., for fear of 
these Indian devils. These Indian devils would sometimes watch 
the camps of the Indians very closely and follow them about as 
they moved from place to place, watching for an opportunity to 
seize one of the young women and carry her off to make her his 
wife. If a young woman strayed away too far by herself, she 
was often made a captive by one of these devils. The women 



98 THE INDIAN DEVIL 

of the tribe liad j^icat fear of them as tliey iiad great horrors of 
becoming the wife of a wild man. 

Sometimes tlie women would be captivated by the Indian 
ilevils and would be gone away from their tribe for years, when 
they would return and tell of their wild life and experiences. 
They would beconu^ the mother of children and the children would 
inherit the wild habits of their father, as they would always be 
whistling, making strange noises, romping wildly about and al- 
ways on the go, roaming everywhere in the wilds. These women 
were never happy when they came l)ack to their j)eople, as after 
a time thoy wouUl long to go back to their devil husbands and 
children. They always managed to get away and return to the 
old wild life, as it held such a fascination for them, when they 
once experienced the wilds that they could not resist the calling 
of such a life. 

When the Indians would go on their hunting and camping 
trips into the mountains, as soon as they heard an owl screech 
or hoot, they would stop and listen, and try to distinguish if it 
was an Inthan devil imitating the owl or the cry of a wild 
animal. The Indians would stop at once, kindle a fire and hallo: 
this was given as a warning to the devils that they were awake 
and ready to fight them if necessary. 

When the Indians go camping far back into the mountains, 
and even if a white man accompanies them, they always insist 
on making the first camp fire, when a camping place is selected. 
In building the fire the first stick of wood they lay down points 
directly north and south, on the north end of this stick of 
wood they place another stick some eight or twelve inches back 
from the north end, placing this branch east and west, thus 
making a cross. When the cross is made they proceed to kindle 
the fire, and during the whole time they are offering up a prayer 
to God in a low tone of voice. This prayer is earnestly offered 
U)) to the Almighty asking Him to protect them from the Indian 
devils and wild animals, while they are in the w'ilds and to keep 
them from accidents. After the first worship has been offered 
up any one can l)uild the camp fire as long as they camp in the 
same place, and the Indians do not repeat this form of worship 
until they move away to a different camping place. The Indian 
f)laces his soul in the care of God, and worships at his shrine 
uuder the open Heavens and boundless skies, and not at the 



THE INDIAN DEVIL 99 

alter of man's made houses. In all his babarism he worships hsi 
God sincerely and devoutedly to a degree something akin to sad- 
ness, and not in the throngs that gather to mix hypocrisy at the 
sacred altar. With our invisible devil, also the one that the 
Indian can meet face to face, as man to man and conquer him 
as a man can. There is no such thing in our tribe as worship- 
ing the devil and fearing him in offering up worship to him. 
Most of the frontiersmen thought of us as blood-thirsty, cruel 
and heartless savages. Perhaps they were right to judge us so, 
when our warriors struck to wound and kill and defend the land 
of our fore-fathers, in the countless ages of primeval man. It 
has often been written in history and books of fiction that the 
American Indians were devil and sun worshipers without even 
a soul to worship God, V^randed, "The fallen race." Ah! what a 
tangled tale they weave when they practice to deceive the 
religion and traditions of another race that has a tradition from 
the beginning of the creation of a living man, and down through 
the long centuries of thousands of years. If this is true, 

let me quote from the so called civilized races, for instance, 
Rome had its Ceaser, oft writ, in history, "Great and brave," 
but all the world knows that he lived the heartless conqueror, 
crushing out the lives of men, his hands were dipped in human 
blood and he died the tyrant's death. All the world knows that 
France had its monarch, his name is writ on Fame's record as 
the mighty conqueror of Europe. The winding rivers of Europe 
were once red with the blood it shed, there were gory battle 
fields left in his wake, to say nothing of broken hearted mothers 
and children who went weeping under cheerless skies without a 
home to shelter them. For example, our own United States, in 
1861-65, cities went down in ruins, homes were destroyed, human 
blood flowed like wine, thousands sleep in unknown graves, they 
died martyr's for a great cause, and the Redman was just as 
nmch of a martyr for his cause as they. 

Truly our tribes were not blood-thirsty, for the love of 
l)lood or the lust of glory, but instead were compelled to yield 
to a superior race, and our noblest men sleep in narrow graves 
with the best, the proudest of the race, dead around them. Ex- 
terminated rather than educated until the noblest of our race are 
gone, and out of the miserable remnant comes a feeble cry to- 
day, that for nearly four centuries the redman has merely exist 
ed without a country. Love for the child-race of a bygone age, 



100 THE INDIAN DEVIL 

tears for the infant race, in all its infancy a type of primitive 
manhood, reserved and poised, courageous, enduring, master of 
self and above all self controlled, a proud vanishing figure in a 
.nation of unrest. Love for the adult race saddened with regrets 
hanging heavy and the stain of lilood on their hands from the 
infant tears for the superior race, for who can tell what this 
child race might have been when they were full grown and edu- 
cated. Tears and love, love and tears, sweetly mingled when in- 
fant and adult meet in one great brotherhood of forgiveness. 
Always thus, since time began, someone must die a martyr for 
the l)egining of every cause, and it has ever been thus, since the 
dawn of history, among all races and nations, the heathen, the 
barbarian and the civilized nations of the world. 

Educated man to-day through his long evolution of 
centuries know there is only one God, and all are seeking one 
goal and the soul of man cannot be lost just because he wor- 
ships a little different from his fellow man. Every race has its 
own creed, and one race has no more of a right to say another 
race is lost forever and eternally just because they differ in their 
form of worship, and the rising generation of the present centurj' 
knows better. So at least let the tradition of the noble type be 
just, as he is being fast absorbed into another race and even at 
this day all that remains of him is tradition of his past existence, 
and usually that tradition is of a mongrel type, rather than the 
true. 

We are always afraid of the visible devil, (oh-mah-ha) that 
is the living devil here on this earth, as we are compelled to 
guard continually against these monsters in keeping ourselves 
from being harmed. We are at all times at peace %nth God, we 
love Him as the Great Ruler and we are aways ready to ofll'er a 
prayer and to worship him. 

When an Indian sits down to smoke, he fills his pipe, 
lights it and takes a deep breath filling his lungs \\ith smoke, 
and then expells it slowly through his nostrils and mouth wth a 
low grunt. Then in a low and solemn voice he offers up a 
prayer to God, asking Him for good health, long life and good 
luck. This good luck is in earning money, accumulating vast 
riches, success in fishing and securing wild game, and in fact all 
the success in the pursuit of an Indian life. 

The devil is termed as key-mol-len, which means a low 
miserable person or animal. And God is in the Heavens an in- 
visible Being to living man, he is evervwhere and He rules over 
all. 



CHAPTER X, 



THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE. 



THE fish dam ))eing completed, all except the ones that are 
to stay there, Lock-nee, Nor-mer, the Wah-clures and the 
Char-rahs now move down the river and go to their differ- 
ent homes to prepare for the White Deer-skin Dance. This dance 
is held about ten miles down the river from where the fish dam 
is put in, and this place they call Wah-tec and is a pretty place 
containing about fifty acres, of a nearly level place, being a high 
bar or flat so that no water ever gets over it, and situated on 
the north side of the river, just down under the village on gentle 
sloping place. There is a large spring of cold water flowing 
from under the upper flat or high bar, while some forty steps 
below the dance ground there is another spring, larger than the 
other, clear and cold, which is used for part of them that camp, 
all being some three hundred yards down the river below the 
old Klamath Bluff's or Johnson's store, that was put there in 
the year 1855 or 1856 by a man named Schneider, and 
owned so long by Bill McGarvey. Before the dance starts two 
that are of high birth, one girl and one man, the man can 
be young or old but they must be of high birth, and sometimes 
one of them is a Talth, goes first and cleans off the ground, (all 
of which parts I have taken) by taking the grass off, then sweep 
it clean, then three smooth stones that are set well down in the 
ground but extending above the ground some eight or ten inches. 
These stones have been there for a long time and are for the three 
in the center of the row of dancers, which are fifteen and seventeen 
in number; the girl makes a small fire and then places her in- 
cense roots on it to burn so as to please Wah-pec-wa-mow, she 
remains there to keep up the fire while the dance is in progress. 
This man and girl are called May-wa-lep, and eat their regular 



ro2 



THK WniTK DV.VAl SKIX DAXC'E 



meals each day. When all is in readiness tor tlie dunce to start 
in the evenin<i of the first lUiy, the two first villages up the river 
from the dan( ing {)l;u e, all drt^ssed in their rol)es and regalia, go 
down to the river hank and get into a large boat or canoe, one 
sits in the stei-n to p.-iddle and keep it pointed down th(> riv<M- 
until they come to where they have prepared theii- camping jilace 
foi- the dance. The first village uj) is called Cor-tep, and the 
next one aliove it i< Pec-wan, Per-wafi is where the hig Talth 
Lodge is situated for the Po-lick-las division, and is very we Ithy. 
This village is my Mrth-place and always i:omes in strong with 




Bi:(;iNNIN(; of TIII': WHfTF. DF.Kf< SKIX DAN'CE 



the finest of icgalia and the most beautiful display of deer skins. 
Now each \illage dances sepai-ate and on(> at a time, as the Cor- 
tep village dancers come up and form themselves into line, the 
three in the <-e»iter are the leaders and the middle one of the 
1hi-ee is the one that lowers the pole that has the deer skin on 
it. He raises his right foot an<I stai'ts to sing, letting his foot 
down at th(! same tinuN and the rest all follow. Now there 
stands at each end of the row of dancers thosi^ who in their 



THE WHITE DEER BKIN DANCE 103 

Tight hand hold a large flint which they call Ne-gam, this 
has a strong buck skin string tied tightly around it and then 
looped around the wrist so as t« keep it from slipping off the 
hand, and as the dancing starts they go back and forth in front 
of the row of dancers passing each oth-er at middle of the row 
of dancers, and they have a whistle in progress. After dancing 
until they are all tired out, they stop and the three in the 
middle of the row sit down on the stones while the rest stand, 
•all raising the pole on which the deer skins are held, letting the 
tbutt end of the pole rest on the ground. After the Cor-tep 
village has danced out they retire to their camp, and in from 
fifteen to thirty minutes the Pec-wan village dancers come up 
•and go through the same performance. The regalia and deer 
skins are the common kind, and the count of the days that the 
dance is to run has not yet commenced as these two villages 
may dance two dances foi' each day, after the first evening, for 
three or four days before the rest of them can get ready to come, 
there are five of them in all. Next above Pec-Wan to come is 
»Ber-e-goine then Mo-reck and the next is Cap-pell where the fish 
dam is, when they all get to the dancing place they dance ten 
days and each village dances in its turn. They start the first 
dance about nine o'clock in the morning and it is fully twelve 
o'clock, mid-day, before the last one has finished. Now bear in 
mind thut there are two or three men all the time in the differ- 
ent camps asking the men, one and all to come in and dance, it 
does not matter from where they come or to what tribe they be- 
long, they are asked to come in and take a part in this great 
festival, so that the dancers are changing all the time, and from 
one village to the other and which ever village they dance in, 
they are invited to eat at their camp all is free and no one is 
allowed to go hungry, and there would he some from far off that 
could not speak a word of the Klamath tongue only by signs 
with the hands, yet they were carefully looked after, shown 
around, fed and asked to get in and dance, the others carefully 
guiding them through so they would make no mistake and it 
was considered the worst of ill manners to make light of their 
mistakes anywhere in their presence, they were guaranteed pro- 
tection and courtesy and seen to get home without being harmed 
or molested. 

The different dance camps have a number of women, 



104 THE WHITE DEER SKIN DAXCE 

soinctinu's c\g\\\ ten or twelve and they \vork like beavers, cook- 
ing and preparing the food, these women are the sisters, aunts 
and other relati\-es. Some of them may own one half of all the 
valuable jiaits of what they are dancing with and all may own 
some part. As with tlie Klamath Indians the women own by in- 
heritance or accumulation all of theii' own wealth just the same 
as the men do and a wealthy woman is just as much sought for 
a wife by the Klamath Indians as they are by the whites and 
just the same a wealthy man is sjught for by the wa)men as they 
are by the whites. 

The girl keeps her fire burning while the dance is going 
on and the man assists her at all times. Now the village to 
which the dance belongs starts about dark in the evening and 
goes through the s une perfonnance, each giving a dance, keeping 
it up till about nine o'clock at night, when they retire to their 
different camps when they all take their evening meal, after this 
they all prepare to sleep for the night, and the most of them 
sleep .until full day-light in the morning, when they rise to go 
through the same routine. On the last day at this place, or the 
tenth day of the dance, (oh-pure-ah-wah) this being the great day, 
all that are to be there have come, and this day they bring out 
the white deer skins, the longest of the flints, some of which 
were red while others were streaked with red and white, the 
white being the most valuable, some of them are twenty and 
twenty-two inches in length and from four to five inches wide in 
the center of the blade and (juite heavy to handle; at this the 
Pec-w^an village leads all otheis in white deer skins, they having 
five that are white and many that are light or nearly white, all 
Ix'ing dressed softly and nicely \\ith the whole skin, nose, ears 
and the hair left on, even the hoofs are white and the nose and 
ears are decorated with the red feathers of the wood-cock or In- 
dian hen taken from the scalp of the bird and put on 
stripes of buck-.skin with small pieces of the abalona shell hang- 
ing down in front of the nose of the deer some four inches long. 
Ser-e-goine comes next with the longest flints, the most valuable 
belonging to a family of sisters, and the other villages that make 
up the five comes in, in rotation as to liches in valuable articles 
for the dance, now the upjier river or Pech-ic-las comes in to the 
different dances with thcii- valual)les as to the line of relaticjn- 
sliij) or old time fiicndship, and the women j)ut in theii' wealth 



THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 



105 



and take their places and help to cook and wait on all just the 
same as the Po-lick-las, yet they speak a different language but 
are so closely mixed in marriage and so many of them speak 
both tongues and the whole meaning of the big dance being just 
the same to both that there is no mistake between them in any 
part of the management of the dance. The men all wear a buck- 
skin blanket made of two and three deer skins, dressed with the 
hair on and made veiy soft, these are sewed together with the 




A'lEW OF THE KLAMATH RIVER NEAR PEC WAN. 



sinews of the deer, used for thread, with a bone needle and to 
the lower part of the blanket they sew the tails of the civit or 
ring tail cat. This blanket is fixed so as to be tied around the 
waist and hangs down below the knees with the cat tails dang- 
ling at the bottom, if clear dry weather they wear these blankets 
with the hair side next to their skin, Which leaves them looking 
very white, but if it turns damp or commences to rain the 
blankets are turned with the hair side out so as not to get the 
flesh side wet and soiled. All of the dancers have great rolls of 



IOC Tin: WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 

shell beads, called Turk-tuni, strung around the neck, hanging 
down over the breast and reaching to the waist. These shells 
are the same species of shells as the cheek, only they are shorter 
and do not have the value by from fifty to one hundred times 
as much, and all have head dresses but no feathers only the one 
bald eagle or other eagle feather that is stuck in the back of 
the hair and stands up perpendicular. The four men that stand 
at the end of the row of dancers and which carry the large flints 
and whistles in their mouths have for a head-dress a close 
woven cloth which we make ourselves from the small tread fibers 
of the flag, these are twisted into strands and woven into a thick, 
heavy cloth, these are some eight inches wide by three feet in 
length, or more, and are ornamented with the tusks or teeth of 
the sea lion, fastened at the upper edge of the piece and this 
cloth in placed center of forehead, then back to the back of the 
head and tied, leaving the ends floating with the tusks sticking 
out in front. This head gear is called cher-wer-ner, and the 
blankets are called cah-ane. This white deer skin place is called 
Wah-tec and the village that sits just back of the dance place 
at the brow of the high flat, or bar, is of the same name. 
The Wah-tec village is north of the dancing place and is just 
north of the village is the level jflat where they play their 
stick game which is as rough as the white mans' foot ball 
game. This game is called werlth-per and I have seen 
them pile in heaps at this game and many get hurt, there must 
be no fighting, yet they take a deceptive way of hurting one 
another if there is a dislike between them, just like the whites 
do. The white deer skin dance at the end of ten days comes to 
an end at this place and the whole place is alive with Indians 
from all parts. Now the whole thing comes to a halt and all 
that are managing the dance return to their villages for more 
supplies. This stop is for one day only and now the stick game 
starts, and they may have several games between the up river 
and lower rivers, during the next few days. After the one day 
stop, .so as to replenish provisions, they all start very early on 
the morning following and first go down the river from Wah-ker- 
ah about one nu\v to where a small creek enters into the river, 
this creek known as Bloxer Creek, but we call it Hcl-le-gay-ow, 
this is on the norte side of the river where this creek comes into 




At every place where my people 
hold the White Deer Skin Dance, 
Oh pure-ah-wah) we have this 
same way, that we separate the 
Talth and high birth from the 
other classes. 

Che-na.wah Weitch-ah-wah. 



108 THi: WHITE DEKR SKIN DAXCE 

the rWcr. now when they ^et to ereek, they beuig on tlie south 
side and close to the eiitnuice of th(> eieek to the river, here all 
halt, this heinjj; whei-e there are two trails, one jioes down next 
to the riv(>r, crossing the ereek and up to a small flat just at the 
foot of the hill, with the lai-<j;e ]")epper\v()od trees hanging it, is a 
place wiiei-e the dance starts, and this trail and to this place, 
none can go unless they are horn of the highert marriage. The 
girl and man that are of high birth have already gone and clean- 
ed off the grounds, made the fire and are huining the incense. 
When the host ari'ives here they must give all their valuable art- 
icles that are to be used at this place, over to the poorest and 
shabby looking ones, if they have the right birth to take them 
over this piece of road or trail, to this jilace, Hel-le-gay-ow, and 
all from all parts know whether they have the birth, as this is 
kept close track of by the full blooded Klamath Indians. And 
if any persists or offers to go over this ti'ail, to this place, they 
will be told very firmly to keep back and if needs be they will 
tell them that they are not born good enough to pass this way, 
but wait and go the other way. Tlun-e has never been one of 
mixed blood of any part with the white man or any other mixt- 
ure of blood, that they would let go this way. Only pure Klam- 
ath Indians are allowed. There was never a white man (ken-e-ah) 
that they would consent to let pass this way, for they did not know 
what kind of people the whites were and that the white marriages 
were not such as to give them the birth. 

I can pass and have passed many times and have the train- 
ing to know which can, and those that are not allowed, and the 
poweiful in liches have to stop and take the upper tiail, such as 
Pec-wan Colonel and Captain Sur-e-goine Jim and others whose 
wealth and itifluence that the white man thought would allow him 
to any part or placH\ I am one that knows that the birth is the 
one great event that gave to my people more honor, mor(» power 
and more of everything in this life than all the riches in the 
whole world could buy. My people do not talk and tell of this 
for many reasons, they do not tell the white man thinking that 
they might wish to disobey the rule or right to stop them, and of 
all the whit(! men that have mariied the Indian woiiKni, we do not 
think that a single one of them ever told their husband of this 
for the reason that they themselves did not have th»> birth to pass . 
over this part of the trail, antl was therefore ashamed to let their 



THE WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 109 

men know that such was the case, and the white men thinking 
nothing of it i-topped and did not notice that such was the case, 
it is kept from the mixed bloods where their fathers raised them 
in the same way, not even their own mothers telUng them, asham- 
ed for her children to know of her birth, and the mixed bloods 
that are raised among the Indians know that their birth does not 
admit them, so keep in their right place and are also ashamed 
to say anything about it, and so it has been kept until I told 
my husband, we being duly and truly married in the high 
marriage of my law and married in his law, mv husband being 
a Free and Accepted Mason, how it was and for him to look 
and see for himself, but to stay back and that we would 
take the upper trail and go with the rich, the warrior and the 
throng that could not go the lower trail, where my father (ATalth) 
and sisters could and did go, yet they were poor and other that 
could go, there being few that could go while many went the way 
we did. This I never could have and which was very easy to 
see when once told and shown. Now after the Talth and them 
that have the birth, have done their dancing at this Hel-la-gay-ow, 
the girl and man slip out and go on up the hill through the timb- 
er into the other trail for a short distance and there clean off an- 
other place, make a small fire and place on it the incense to burn 
and the girl sits down in front when the dancers come following 
up and as they come into the trail. 

Now all the rich, the proud of all but their birth, comes in 
behind, and as they come up to the next dance place and form 
into line to dance, all can look on and see, soon this is done, and 
the same is done in two more places un^^il the whole of them finally 
arrive at a large prairie that they call Bloxer, meaning wide in 
shape, as they come to the opening they cross a small branch and 
turn to a flat between two small branches or creeks that contain 
about two acres, at the foot of the raise from the flat is a large 
spring of cold, clear water flowing, here they halt for the final 
wind-up. They have been at this all day and the girl and the 
man (May-wa-lep) have the fires burning the incense, in the even- 
ing they dance, each one dances their turn, using here the white 
deer skins and all of the finest of their regalia and valuable,s after 
the dance is over they have their supper and retire, tired out. 
Early the next morning all is astir and they dance the five dances 
in the forenoon and eat dinner in the after part of the day. The 



no TlIK WHITE DEER SKIN DANCE 

last and final dance is to conic when this is finislied late in the 
nitiht. aliout nine o'clock, then ull take tiieir meal, when many 
of them de|)art and the ^fHVi'iit White Deer Skin Dance is closed 
for two years at least, or ma>lie more, and all go home. Now 
when we speak of tlie dane(* being closed for two years or more, 
we mean by this of the old and ancient laws, by which it was 
conducted, for it has already Ikmmi cari'ied tiu'ough in a spm'ious 
or farcial way l)y them that are of low birth, not having a single 
one that was a Talth to take the lead and cany it through in 
in projx'i- form, l>ut the white man sees it and does not know the 
difference. 

Tiiose of high biith c(»me to the remaining Taltii to ask a 
few (juestions while the Talth answei's them in a smooth tone of 
voice, which is their gift and l(>ts it j^ass on in quiet, knowing 
that it is forever done. The Talth that now live make only one 
last request of the living, tiiat is, that when they come to give up 
this life, that before they are laid away, when being jjrepan^d for 
burial, that the emblem or mark of the Talth l)e placed on them. 
This is four black stiipes placed on the br(\ist eight inches in 
length, one half inch wide and one inch apart, and on each 
ai-m betwecMi the shoulders and elbow, there is to he three stripes 
four inches long, same width and one inch apart, which are the 
marks or eml)lem of the Talth. 

When they are prepar(Hl for tlie last icsting place, the grave, 
and these emblems oi' marks are never put on any of them un- 
less they have l)een put through the seci'ets of the Lodge, and 
carry in their breast that true name of \\'ah-i)ec-wah-mow, (God) 
there are only two of these left, one is myself and the other my 
father. This chapter now closes and we take up the greatest of 
all, the Lodge dance, (Wah-nec-way-la-gaw) called by the whites 
by nianv different nanu^s. 



iSl^ l!M45 SlM45 S^^ IS^ 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE LODGE DANCE. 



THE white man calls this dance the jump dance and this has 
caused the Indians to call it thus when they speak of it in 
the white mans tongue, but we call in our language Wah- 
neck-wel-la-gaw, and which has no meaning as to a dance. This 
dance is held at the Pec-wan village, and it is about one mile up 
the river from where the "White Deer Skin Dance" is held. This 
festival is held one year after the White Deer Skin Dance, or is 
held altenately. This is the most sacred festival that we have, 
and like the fish dam, we start preparations for the festival some 
two months ahead and all differences and disputes are settled be- 
fore this starts. If there are any who can not or will not settle, 
they must not come to see or take part in the festival, and by 
this the reader can see that this once powerful and numerous tribe 
of Indians, by making these complete settlements among all of 
their people once a year, one year for the Fish Dam and the next year 
the Lodge Dance. And could be managed by the High Priests 
and be well governed without the aid of a chief, as they never 
had a chief. The Pec-wan village was in olden times a very large 
and wealthy village. This is where the lodge of the lower Klam- 
aths is situated, and this lodge and the house where all the tools 
of the Talth are kept, is the only one now at this writing left of 
the whole tribe. In the times when the white man first came 
there was one of these lodges at Big Lagoon, which we call Ah- 
ca- tah, and one at the mouth of Redwood Creek which we call 
Orick, one at the mouth of Klamath River which we call Reck- 
woy, and one at Pec-wan. Four these lodges belonging to the 
lower division of the Klamath River, and the upper rivers had a 
number of lodges, but there is not one of them left. There are 



112 THE LODCP: DAN("E ^^, 

no Indians lolt to tell of llicni, or how and what they were used 
for, so making it at are time only one that is left, and only two 
of the Talth are left to tell of the use and meaning of the grand 
good that come from them to the i:)i-oud peof)le. When all is ready 
the three Talth start very early in the morning and select the 
timbers for putting up a complete new frame of the lodge, not leav- 
ing a single piece of the wood-work of the old lodge, but leplac- 
ing it with new. Upon their return from selecting the timbers 
the Talth then go into the house, where tlie tools are kept and 
take them out. Those that are used for getting post and the frame 
with all the sidings, they put these in a very nicely knit sack 
which is made of good and lasting material and and kept for this 
purpose, then they take it on the outside of the house and leave 
it there foi- the night. Now the Talth retmii to their homes and 
family, always bathing themselves, for they are as near perfect in 
their cleanliness as it is given human Ixnng to be. They go into 
their homes with smiles for their wives and children, and all otheis 
that they may come in touch with. These Talth are very firm 
in their manners, very witty in jokes, but slow to speak in matters 
of decision. After supper they retire to their sweat-house to sleep. 
There they first take a smoke and then go to sleep. Now tlie 
ones that are the workers have already been selected for getting 
out the material to i)ut up the wood part of the lodge, and the 
whole of the woik must be done in one day. Every piece is made 
to fit in its place, where it is gotten out in the woods, so that 
when it is brought in, which is done the same day, all fits into 
its place. The whole structure is set up without the use of tools; 
no noise and no words are spoken, only by the three Talth, and 
by them only in a low voice. 

Those that work to get out these timbers nuist all be of 
good birth, not necessarily of the highest birth, but of good birth 
of the wealthy and well to do class. Some of the ones of the 
highest births are not considered to be of the right minds, with 
good behavior to be made a Talth. No one of the low births or 
slaves are allowed to take part in the making of the old lodge, 
Talth-ur-girk. We have degrees in this lodge work, some are all- 
owed to go in and learn a small part of it and are never given 
any n)ore, while other are allowed to learn a greater part, and 
they are never given the true name of Clod. 

This highest marriage takes twelve strings of cheek, twelve 



THE LODGE DANCE 113 

pieces to each string, and out of the few marriages there was very 
few that was good to be made a Talth, and by this they were 
compelled to choose from the girls as well as the boys. The ones 
that were right for the Talth, to keep from loosing the workings 
of the order, as well as to keep the sacred name of God from be- 
ing lost. If through famine or epidemic it would be lost in some 
of the places or lodges, they could get some that were Talth to 
come from Ah-ca-tah, Orick, Reck-woy or from some of the lodges 
from the Pech-ic-las, so that they could fix up the lodges and take 
some of the ones of the right birth and initiate in to the secret 
workings of the order, and make them Talth, and build the order 
up again. These things have happened many times in there long 
history and occupation of this land. Now all the old lumber that 
is taken from the lodge when it is to be made anew, is taken to 
the house which the Talth use for there preparations, and to keep 
the working tools in, and there it is used to renew the weak parts, 
and the rest is used for fire wood in this house, so that none of 
it is wasted. 

The dance, after everything is fixed and all in i-eadiness, 
will last for ten days, and when all is ready the Talth and all the 
workers, which are called Wer-ner-ger-ee, go to their different homes 
or friends and eat their supper, and after this is finished, all the 
workers with two of the Talth go out and gather wood, which is 
the small limbs and twigs of the huckleberry, which we make use 
of by keeping a small fire through the night in the lodge, and 
on the fire we burn incense roots which give off a pleasant odor. 
Now the other Talth, who is the master of the ceremonies, goes 
straight from the house to the lodge, and with him the one, or 
the two girls. These girl are not always a Talth, but sometimes 
one of them is and has the whole secrets of the orner, even to the 
real name of God. These girls must be born of the highest birth 
to even help. The master, when he goes in, talks or prays while 
the girl or girls sweep it and place things in shape, which keeps 
them busy, if there is only one girl, she does not have time to 
leave the lodge. About nine o'clock the Talth with all the work- 
ers come out in line, single file, with a bunch of wood, each one 
with his bundle on his shoulder, all singing, and this in the night 
or evening sounds most beautiful, as it is most perfect in time 
and tune and makes one feel the love for the great Greater of all 
things. 



lU THE LODGE DANCE 

W'luMi they arrive with the wood, all lay in around the top 
of the house or lodge, then either one of the two Talth takes 
yonie inside of the lodge and makes a small fire inside. The floor 
of the lodge is made of marble, and they have a large bowl made 
of marble in which is placed clean, pure water, and in this water 
is placed the roots walth-pay. Now when the time is ready, all 
will come inside of the lodge and bath in the marble bowl with 
the walth-pay in it. This bowl is kept secreted and only the 
Talth knows where it is; the master of the lodge has taken the 
bowl out from its hiding place and put it in its proper place, and 
put the water and walth-pay roots in it. Now when the workers 
and the two Talth comes with the wood and after the fire is 
started, the two Talth remain and all the others go outside, and 
the three Talth bath themselves, also the one or to girls, as the 
case maybe. If one of them is not a Talth then she too has to 
go outside. Then the Talth go through all the secret part of the 
work in the lodge, while the girl that is a Talth remains inside 
of the lodge, and takes part in the secret workings. The lodge is 
now opened, and all the workers are invited to come inside. 
Some of the workers are Talth, sometimes nearly all of them, if 
not, they are high born. They all wash themselves in the marble 
bowl and all have the Indian comb, the men's being longer than 
the ones the girU have. After washing, each one washes and 
combs their hair until it is clean and glossy, leaving the hair 
hang down loosely, using the combs to stroke the hair back, and 
careful not to touch it with their hands. 

The men are perfectly naked, while the girls have a maple 
bark dress fastened around the waist, hanging down to the knees, 
otherwise they were nude. Now the master takes his place in the 
south-east coi-ner of the lodge, sitting on his Indian chair and in 
his hand he holds his staff, or rod, which is the stalk of the 
walth-pay. This staff is the stalk which grows from the herb or 
root that (lod made women from in the first creation, and the 
staff is so old that it is black with age. The next one in author- 
ity sits in the north-east cornor of the lodge, while the third one 
sits in the north-west corner of the lodge. The lodge sits north 
and .south, the entrance is at the south end, the west side being 
left dark. The Master in managing the ceremonies, has a helper 
(this was my part and the emblem I wear is the Dove) who sits 
on the right hand side of the Master, and if there is no girl that 



THE LODGE DANCE 115 

is a Talth, then a man that is a Talth has to fill the place, and 
this one has to place and move the chair of the Master as he 
rises and "sits down, and if there is only one girl, then she has to 
preform a double duty of removing and placing the chairs of all 
three officers of the lodge, and when this happens is keep her on 
the move all night until five o'clock in the morning; when she 
comes out very tired, yet light hearted and very proud of her birth, 
her standing and the gaeat knowledge she has of the secret his- 
tory of her people. Very few there be that has ever been admitt- 
ed to her high plane, and none has ever excelled her. She knows 
that she and all the other Talth are full blooded Klamath, and 
no mixture of any other blood in their veins. This secret organ- 
ization dates back to the very beginning of God's creation of man 
and woman, as this staff of the walth-pay is what God made 
woman out of. This wath-pay they have preserved in this land 
in selected places and it still grows here, and we still use it in all 
of our secret work. It only grows in a few places, and all of us 
know where to find it. They brough this with them, from the 
old land, and on down through the ages to commerate the first 
creation of woman. 

I have offerd to go to the lodge and teach one or more when 
there was enough of the Talth left to do so, but now there 
are none left, and they could not pick out girl that was eligble to 
give it to, until now there is no chance left, and what ever is 
done towards the meeting of this old and ancient order is only 
a farce, and done by the low births, the low class and the slave 
class. When I first told mj^ father that I was going to marry a 
white man, my people objected, saying that if I had children they 
could not be admitted to the order. It was then I told them to 
select one that I might teach the secret part of the lodge to. It 
is sad for me to write of the inside working of the lodge, and 
who can blame me. My people are passing away, being absorb- 
ed by the white race. 

Now all are inside of the lodge and they give the whole 
night to chanting and praying to God, to please the Creator, to 
give them health, wealth and to watch over them, keeping them 
safe from disease. They keep this up until about five o'clock in 
the morning and then they all go down to the house where the 
dance is to be held, and this house is called Ah-pure-way. They 
build a small fire and place some roots on it. Now during this 



116 THE LODGE DANCE 

time the wealthy families ha\'e moved from their homes, luring 
their wives sisters and daut;hters to cook and pi-e{)are food. 

The first dance is hurriedly gotten ready and then the 
daneers come up to the house, going in and taking their places. 
The dance starts and will last for ten days. As soon as the 
first dance is over the Tallh go to their homes to eat and rest, 
and the tired l)ut pi'oud little gii'l goes to hei" liome and eats, 
aft(n' which she takes a much needed sleep. All have Ixithed, 
which they Tiever fail to do, and dressed their hair and combed 
it cleanly. There are five villages that take part in the Po-lick- 
las dance, being the same ones that took part in the White 
Deer Skin Dance. All Indians are invited to come, rich or poor, 
from any and all tril)es, from far off and near by. Far away 
tribes are looked after, fed and asked to take part in the dance, 
even if they cannot speak their language. They will motion to 
them and show them how and give them full protection at all 
times and under any circumstances, so that they may enjoy it 
to the fullest. This is the time that the very poor and slave 
class of our own people are made jolly and contented, proud to 
be known and called a Klamath Indian. They are here allowed, 
both men and women, to put in whatever they may possess 
that is of value, that is used to dance with. The wealthy ones 
that own lands, hunting territory, fishing places, slaves, flints, 
white deer skins, fisher skins, otter skins, silver gray fox skins 
and fine dresses made of dressed deer skins, with fringes or shells 
knotted and worked in the most beautiful styles, that clink and 
jingle as they walk and makes one have a fencing of respect and 
admiration for them. The eyes will strain to look on this most 
pleasant sight, which can never leav(> one's memory that has 
seen it in its flowery days. 

They take the scalp of the wf)odpecker, which they sew 
together from sixty to one hundred in number, on a piece of 
nicely dressed buck skin, the edges also Ixnng buck skin, it looks 
like a plug hat. They let the ends hang as streamers at the 
i)ack of the head. These are valued at from one to two hundred 
dollars, having red and white fringes, which makes them look 
very pretty. ^rhese head di-esses are called Rah-gay and the 
scalps are called cheese, wlieth(!r one or many of them. They 
have great strings of the long hollow shells, called clie(>k and 




sy 2 



X 
H 

o 
u 

o 

Q 
< 

o 

z 

o 

< 

<1 

a. 

Cu 

o 

Q 
O 



THE LODGE DANCE 117 

turk-tum, around their necks, hanging down over the breasts to 
the waist. This, the most sacred of all their festivals, is held in 
a house and more of their wealth is displayed at this time than 
on any other occasion. The wealth of the whole tribe of the 
Klamath Indians, even the Hoopas and Smith River, and any 
other tribe can put in and help in this dance. Here in this dance 
the rich ones will turn over to the poorest of them their display 
of wealth and go away, leaving it in their care, our people do 
not use feathers but very httle, less than the white people. 

In the evening of the second days dancing, the Talth go back to 
the lodge and the Master with the girl who is a Talth, go into 
the lodge, and the Master puts fresh clean water into the bowl, 
pounds and places the walth-pay roots into it and it is ready for 
use. The other girls remaining in the perparation house or goes 
to other parts to preform when they have things fixed for them. 
Th(,' Master gives prayers to God while the other two Talth in 
authority will take the same ones, the workers, and go out for 
more wood, the same as the first time, coming in about nine 
o'clock, all in single file, led by the two Talth singing the song 
as they come and i>lace the wood the same as before. Now the 
two Talth go inside and the lodge is opened, the Talth girl help- 
ing until all is in readiness, then the workers are called in and 
the Talth each take their place, the Master with his staff of the 
walth-pay, and the girl in her place by the Master and the work- 
ings of the lodge are gone through with as before, and kept up 
all night until five o'clock in the morning, when they come out 
and go to their homes and camps to eat. Now the dancers take 
up the dancing and the whole thing moves along smoothly, with- 
out a thing to mar the good times. The Talth do not take any 
part in the dancing, and are but seldom seen to take a look at 
it, and the Master does not come to see any part of it, but if 
he does, he just passes on, laughing joking and jesting with all 
the men and women and they are more than glad to see him. 

The Talth call each other brothers, and the girls sisters, 
and the word brother and sister is used a great deal among these 
people. 

When the lodge is working in its secret part of the order, 
there is a guard stationed at the door on the outside to keep 
others from hearing or entering. In the evening of every second 



118 



TUK LODCE DANCE 



(lay they apvw tlic lodjic^ until tlir dance lia.< run for ei^ht days, 
when they open the lodfie in the same way, in the evening for 
the fifth and last time. The Alaster and the girl go into the 
lodge, while the two Talth and the workers go and get the wood, 
coming l)ack at nine o'clock, then the same preformance is gone 
through with, ending aI)out fi\-e o'clock in the morning, then all 
the workei- are exp(>!led from the lodge and go to the dance 
house and make the fire, l)urn the incense roots, sweep and clean 
the house for the last two days of the festival. The three Talth 
and the girl remain in the lodge and finish the wintling up cerem- 




THE L()D(;K danck 

onics of the lodge (or the dance, after which the bowl, statT and 
othei' ciiitilcms and tools are placed in their secret hiding places 
so that them who are Talth know where to find them, then they 
come out and go to their homes tt) eat, sleep and rest. Now the 
last two days of the dance connnences, and the finest of di'esses 
and tiie most valual)le of articles are used, |all the riches are brought 
out, showing which are the most wealthy of famih', some of which 
have long recoids dating back for generations, telling how the 
family first started in prominence, and ui) to the present time. 



THE LODGE DANCE 119 

This festival is held for the purpose and equality of the whole 
people together, the rich, the poor and the slave, make themselves 
come together in peace and harmony a.s one family and to make 
the poor and the slave feel that there is some good to live for, 
and more and above all to make them warriors, that none dare 
scorn. That if any other tribe dare to violate the laws of human- 
ity, such as to mutilate the dead by scalping and other ways, 
which the Klamaths would not tolerate for a moment, and by the 
Talth to keep and preserve their old and ancient teachings of the 
sacred order which has been handed down to them through the 
ages, which they say has never been, through it all, down to 
where it is now. They say that a number of times it has been 
low, yet there was enough to revive and bring is back to its prop- 
er place, so as not to loose it in its secret parts and keep it up. 
At the end of ten days the dance, late in the evening closes and 
the people scatter in all directions, while the rich families, that 
have so many women to help in preparing the food, and some 
with children, and so much wealth to move, will keep their camp 
open until the next day, and some for two days longer, until they 
can get everything ready for moving home. 



niAPTi:i{ XII, 



OIH CHRIST 



AYOrXd woman of till' Pecli-ic-!a's. the iip])iT dixision of the 
Klaiiiatli trilic, lived a1 Caw-ali-iiiaii, now known as Orleans 
l^ar. ^^he was tlie mother of Po-lich-o-ciuai-e-ick, our Chi'ist, 
and never mairied after the liii-th of her son, and lived single all her 
life, residing with her folks at <)rie:Mis P>ar. Caw-ah-mis-o-ma, the 
mother of our Chiist, duiing the years of hei' womenhood, would 
go alone daily to a high roek, not heeding the I'emonstrances of 
hei' parents and kindred, and wcnild ascend tlie sides of this rock 
to its to]), where she would seat herst'lf and weave baskets every 
day. She went alone every day for nearly threc^ years to this 
rock and made baskets, and one day Wah-i)ec-wah-mow ((lod) 
ai)i)ear(>(l to her and said that she would beai' him a male child, 
which would b(> His Son, and this Son would be oui- Christ, or 
Savior, who would be a veiT wise antl talented man of the two 
ti'ibes and would rule oui' ])eople. 

I'pon reaching her home that evening she told hei' parents 
and tlie people of the tribes that she soon would give birth to 
the Son of (lod, th;it Cod himself, having aj)i)eared Ix^fore her, made 
facts known to h(>r, and that she should not be looked upon in 
disgrace by her people Iler parents and a great many of the 
people of the Klamath tribes believed hei' story to be true and 
they made ready to icceixc the Child. 

( "aw-ah-mis-o-ma ga\-e birth to a son as she had said, and 
cared for tlu; infant in her father's home, gixing it the name of 
Po-lick-o-(iuare-i('k. pioclaiming the child to the lrib(>s as and Son 
of Cod. Her parents and a great many of the jieople of the tribe 
believed in the iiifallat)ility of the child, while a number of the 
I)eople did iiol belicNC ill him as infalable, and regarded liim as 
a bastard child. Some of our Talth, or High Priests, did not 



OUR CHRIST 121 

believe in his divine birth and considered him as the bastard son 
of man, however, they recognized his great poweis and wisdom 
as an ordinary man. Most of my people worshiped the child as 
divine. 

During the childhood and l)oyhood years of Po-lick-o-quare- 
ick he sought the solitudes of a great creation, as he never play- 
ed with other children, and never mingled in the social gatherings 
of his people. As a little child he played alone, and when he 
had reached the age of about two years, he had a little canoe 
that he would play with and sail it in the waters at Orleans Bar. 
This little toy boat was one of his earliest playthings, and when 
he left his early childhood scenes he left this boat at Orleans Bar 
on the south bank of the river in a rift or crevice of a large rock. 
There, to this day the Indians say you can see the little boat that 
he played with and which has turned into a solid stone, and is 
still the perfect shape of a small boat. (This I have not seen). 

While yet a small boy of tender years, Po-lick-o-quare-ick 
came down to the river to Ca-neck, alone, where he spent a great 
deal of his early boyhood years in restless wandering, as he was 
never still. He would never go with his mother, or with any one 
else as he went from place to place alone. On the south side of 
the river at Ca-neck is a small lake at the foot of the hill back 
from the river, and is surrounded on the outer banks by marshy 
lands. This lake cannot be observed from the river or village, 
and its existence might never be known except by coming upon its 
very banks. He spent a great deal of his time playing in his 
solitary ways about the lake. Just back of this lake is a rock 
that our Christ used as a place where he would continually be 
sliding down its side, he wore away one large and some small 
groove with his heels, in this soUd stone, which can be seen to 
this day. (This I have seen many times and my people rub their 
fingers on these grooves and then rub the fingers on their eyes, 
to cure weak or sore eyes) About half a mile below the lake, 
located on the same side of the river, is another rock, where the 
young man went for prayers which he offered up to his father, 
(God) to bless him with great powers and wisdom. As he knelt 
at the top of this rock in prayer he left the sunken imprint of 
his knees and feet in the rock, which is still visible. 

Another rock concerning our Christ is located a short dis- 
tance above the lake on the bank of river, which was his special 



122 OUR CHRIST 

fishing place, where lie would sit on the rock and fish. Here also 
in the solid stone is the sunken imprint of his bare feet and knees, 
and also the pool of water, close by, that he cast his fish in; 
all of which are left as his written memoirs of his past existence. 
These are his written annals left upon the rocks; the traditions 
handed down through the long centuries when the Christ himself 
had passed away, far out on the ocean waves, perchance to a 
better land than that, which had given him birth. (This place I 
have been close to many times, yet I never went to see it) He 
could speak the language of any tribe or nation without teaching, 
and could peer into the darkness of the past, telling the events 
of bygone times. He could gaze into the future and tell of the 
events to be, so great was his wisdom; he could also command 
anything he wanted, and his commands would be answered, to 
his eveiy wish. 

When he was in the prime of his years he took a lot of 
valuable things, such as cheek, cheese (the scalp of the woodcock) 
and other things, got into his canoe and started down the river 
and when he arrived where Bill Mc Garvey's store afterwards was 
built, he stopped and took a rest in the early morning sunshine. 
This is the reason this place is the warmest and most sunny the 
year round, that is to be found in any part of our whole territory. 
After resting as long as he wished he started on down the river. 
Many of the Indians followed after him, and as they were crowd- 
ing quite close he commanded that an opening be made through 
the rock bluff at Reck-woy, which was done and this turned the 
Klamath river into the ocean at that place, some six miles south 
of whcrr it went into the sea l)efore, at Ah-man. (Wilson Creek) 
Thus they never caught u]) to him but could see out in the 
ocean, gliding gently on towoids the west. He had previously 
told them that he was ready to go and was going, that in some 
future time he would come back. He was the wisest man tiiat 
we have ever had among owv people, he knew all things and could 
do all things and we liold his n.ame with great reverence. It is 
the custom of our young women to use the expression; "when we 
get married and if we have children, we wish they can talk all 
languages like Po-lick-o-quare-ick." My people for many generat- 



OUR CHRIST 123 

ions look for him to come back, but since the coming of the 
Ken-ne-ah's, the white people, they are loosing trace of his name 
and the things that he did, and it will soon be lost. It is now 
my desire, after many years of thinking, to write it all out so 
it may be preserved for the American Indians, that they may 
know something of the religion and teachings of our forefathers* 






i^ '^ 



(^IIAPTKH Xlll. 



THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAAE\TH 1NDL\NS 



KAY-KAY-MY-ALTH-ALW, the Sampson of the Po-lick-la's, 
(the lowei' Klamath liuhans) ami the Pech-ic-la's (upper 
Klamath In(li:insj, \v;is horn at the village of Auh-leck-kin 
on the rivei'. This village is about twolv(> miles down the river 
from the old Klamath Bluffs store, and about the same distance 
from the mouth of the I'iver at Requa. It was onee a huge and 
flourishing village, a long time ago at the time of Sampson's 
birth, and long aft(M- he was dead. 

This Indian Samiison was a tall and handsome fellow, 
with sinewy arms and a body of musele. His hair was extnuunly 
long, sueh (lowing tresses of l)eauty and strength, wherein his 
wonderful physical powei's lay. This man of wonderful physic 
was a Klamath Indian, a lone and mighty warrior for all who 
oppo.sed him; and i1 mattered little how many in number were 
against him, they were always defeated. This warrior did not 
use bow and ari'ows, spears or shields to defend himself in his 
concpiests, l)Ut used instead tiie sling and pebl)les. He would 

raid whole villages in the (pu^st of wealth and noni^ darcMJ 
combat him })ut what were defeated. The tiibes feared him for 
his great strength, as they knew not where he got his super- 
natui'al power. 

The tribes of the Sniilh l^iver, Hoopa and Klamath feared 
him greatly as he I'eached the dizzy heights of his jiowers and 
and massacres. He refused to pay tiil)ute to any of the trilx's. 

One day this wairior bold, emboldened by his trium])hs, 
met a Ix'auliful and shy maiden of another tribe, with whom he 
fell despcralely in love, llei- people were the Smith Kiver tribe 



THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 125 

(He-na's) with whom he was fighting at the time. He defeated 
them and took her captive, and alas, love after a time proved 
his utter ruin. Ah, what monarch of earth that love will not 
conquer with her soothing hands! After he captured the maiden 
he married her so she could hold herself respected before all, 
and took her to his home at Auh-leek-kin, giving her the name 
of Auh-leek-kin-on. No children came to bless this union; no 
childish prattle or laughter to lift the gloom of the coming years. 

This Sampson's dwelling place was in a house where he 
had made a cellar in the clay and in this cellar he always 
retreated at night that he might not be suddenly surprised and 
taken by his enemies. His wife yealded to his love, seeking the 
secret of his great strength, and alas, mighty man and warrior, 
the conqueror of tribes fell before the weak hands of the woman 
he loved. Day by day, so gentle and sweet her endearing words 
of affection fell like balm on his troubled soul, soothing the 
afflictions of a dark and turbulent career. Patiently as the 
months past by she gained his confidence. Ah, 'tis sweet to 
yield to woman's wiles, though she leads you to the grave, 
yawning with the grim jaws of death. In this woman's feeble 
arms, this powerful man revealed his secret, that his mighty 
strength was in his long and flowing hair, the beauty of night 
and the strength of nations. 

False woman came to dwell in his life as she gained the 
secrets of his mighty powers; siren like was the touch of her 
fingers upon his troubled forehead. Fascinated in the comfort 
of one he loved so passionately he fell asleep, and one fatal day 
with his head laid lovingly upon her lap, the cruel woman of 
destiny arose stealthily and stole from the fire embers a flaming 
torch and burnt the raven locks off closely to his head, as he 
slept soundly on. 

Upon awakening, to his great alarm and grief, he found 
that his super-human strength had left him. The pride of his 
life, his long and flowing locks were gone, and with it his fate 
was sealed. The powerful w^arrior lay vanquished at the feet of 
his enemies, to grieve his loss as only great men can grieve. 

After his enemies had captured him they decieed to put 
out his eyes that be might never more be able to fight them. 



12G THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 

Thus, at last, the great and strong Kay-kay-my-alth-may was 
defeated by the weak hands of a woman he had loved and 
trusted so nuich. 

After he had been captured and tortured, his proud spirit 
gave grief so intense that only a great physical strength could 
long endure. He Vwod a few short years, in his native 
village, but the time seemed long in his blindness. He could 
no longer behold the splendors of the sunrise on the mountain 
tops or the splendors of the sunset on yon Pacific Ocean. The 
wunderlust of his life had set in dismal gloom as he pined 
away and died of a broken heart. His faithless wife returned 
to her people, where she also died, leaving no one to mourn her 
and only the memory of his great strength. 






CHAPTER XIV 



THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 



IT has been handed down from long ago that the people became 
so wicked, no good was found in anything, and human progress 
retrograded into destruction. Unwedded women became 
the mothers of a host of bastard children as the men led a life of 
debauchery, and the women a life of shame. Crimes and murd- 
ers lurked in every corner, plunder and the greed for riches follow- 
ed each other in a terrible way. Men sought not honest lives, 
but sought the greed and plunder of riches. Those who command- 
ed their self-respect and cherished their family pride became few 
and far between. Profane language became the rule, laws became 
corrupt and unheeded, and whole communities swerved downward 
in utter ruination. 

God became angry upon looking down, He saw the people 
growing more corrupt, year by year, where human beings eked 
out a miserable existence in their greed. God appeared to one 
of the good men, (a Talth) a man who had always lived an honest 
and upright life, respecting his fellow men, and observed above all, 
God's moral laws. He appeared to this man, Gus-so-me, who 
possessed in his secret breast the true name of God, and God said 
unto him that He was going to destroy everything on earth with 
a great flood, as the people had become so wicked that He would 
no longer endure the sights of such wickedness. Gus-so-me plead- 
ed with God not to destroy the people by flooding the world, 
and God then told him to go forth among the people and see 
how many good ones he could find, he could find but one more, 
so God told him to prepare a raft, as He was going to destroy 



128 THE DELUGE OF THE KLA^L\TH LXDLWS ' ' 

the world with a flood. This one man that had the abiding faith 
of an honorable man was Haw-gon-ow, also a Talth. (lod now 
appeared before theii- two High Priests and bad them prepare for 
the final deluge as thei-e was no good people to l)e found on earth, 
except the two Talth and their wives. He bad them to build a 
large raft upon which they would float while the rest of the creat- 
ion would sink beneath the rising waters and perish. 

(Uis-so-me the Haw-gon-ow began at once to l)uild the raft, 
(men-up) while the people continued in their wild revelries, jeer- 
ing in ('()nt(>mpt at the two builders, but they heeded them not 
and worked steadily on. When the two Talth completed the raft 
He caused it to begin raining, and it rained steadily, causing the 
waters to rise higher and higher, until the o-plah-peck (flood) 
waters covered the entire world. When the waters came up 
around the raft the two Talth took their wives, Ger-ke-er and 
Ca-wa-mer onto the raft, where they remained and fioated upward 
as the water rose. These two wives where also Talth, and our 
holy order was kept intact over the great deluge. They carried 
with them upon the raft, the herb, or walth-pay, which as before 
kept perfectly green and bloomed, they also took with them the 
raven and the dove, but all the other species of the earth were 
left, and they were destroyed in the great flood. It rained stead- 
ily for many days and nights upon a terror stricken world, until 
all the valleys and lowlands were one continuous sea, and only 
tops of the highest hills and mountains remained uncovered, where 
the people stood huddled together, as they had been steadily 
driven up the monutain sides by the water. And still it continu- 
ed to rain, the people running hither and thither, piercing wails 
went u]) as the terrible apprehension of destruction was upon 
them, their piteous cries w'ere only answered by the rising waters 
as their bodies were tossed a moment upon the angry waves and 
then sank to their graves in the unknown depths. Soon all the 
highest mountain peaks were covered with water and the world 
was one continuous sea. All living creatures had perished from 
the earth, as they had sank beneath the waves to live no more. 

A\'hen the. rain stopj^ed, Gus-so-me sent the raven (bua-gawk) 
fortli from the raft to see if it could bring any tidings of dry 
laud. He flew away over the waters until he found some dead 
fish and never returned. This is the reason the raven ever since 
has lived on carrion and always remained so wild, inhabiting 



THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 129 

the far off crags of the mountains that command a view of the 
surrounding country, so they can see any one approaching, and 
fly away. After a few days had passed and no tidings of the 
raven came, Gus-so-me sent forth the dove, (aw-rah-way) and 
after it was gone a short time, it returned to the raft with a 
twig of the pepper wood. Gus-so-me now knew that the waters 
on which he floated were going back, and soon there would be 
dry land, and from that time on. the Indians have had a great 
reverence for the dove. We cari-y the symbol of the dove in our 
sacred lodge, and teach the children from childhood never to 
harm the dove, and we never harm it in any way. 

After the return of the dove the raft floated on the waters 
for a few days longer and finally rested on the top of a very 
high mountain, known as Ne-gam-alth, which is located in the 
far north-east on this continent and not across the ocean. This 
lofty peak glistens in the sunlight and can be seen from a great 
distance. The raft as it rested on this mountain, turned to 
white flint, and when the sun shines this flint glistens brightly. 
In our traditions only one man has ever climl^ed this mountain 
and returned to our people since the flood, bringing with him a 
piece of the flint, and since this time we have used the white 
flint at our festivals, it being the most valuable of all other kinds. 

When the waters went down suiTiciently, God commanded 
Gus-so-me and Haw-gon-ow, with their wives, to go down from 
the mountain and re-populate the earth. From these two Talth 
and their wives came our present people, and they again scatter- 
ed over the continent. In coming down from the mountain top 
the Talth carried with them the walth-pay, the same as they 
did when they first made their long journey from the land of 
Cheek-cheek-alth. This divine herb bloomed perpetually again, 
and Gus-so-me, with the assistance of Haw-gon-ow, in using the 
correct words of their prayer to God, could command with the 
herb anything they needed for human existance, as their prayers 
would be granted by God. 

God now created the animal and plant life that was destroy- 
ed during the flood, with the exception of the raven and the dove, 
which the High Priests carried with them upon the raft. When 
the re-creation was made, God first made the white deer, then 
the red eagle, the same as in the first creation. He also placed 
the rain bow in the heavens as a promise to Gus-so-me and Haw- 



130 THE DELUCiE OF THE KLA^E\TH INDL\N8 

gon-ow. that he would never agaiu destroy the people by flood, 
i)ut if the people ever beeome so coi'miit again He would destroy 
them with a tiicit fire burning the world. When the Indians see 
the rainbow in the heavens, they always look upon it with the 
assuran('(> that it is the promise of (Jod, that He will destroy the 
world no more with rain. When the heavy lains fall they always 
say that it will not continue to rain very long, for the next time 
all the world will i)ass away in flames. 

The Talth bring down th(> traditions that when they fii'st 
arrived in this land, the white race which they found here were 
a highly moral race. They lived in j)eace and happiness and 
ci'imes wer(> things unknown. With the passing of this white 
race, parsed the age of ina')_^-3nce and p^acc. 

Epon the ai-i'ival of the present white race, the Indians 
first lielieved that it was the ancient white people retuiaiing. The 
tribes rejoiced as they thought i)eace and happiness would reign 
again, for the Wa-gas had given them their faithful promise that 
they would some day return. Alas, the sad mistake and identity 
of these people for they were foreigners who took advantage of 
our hospitality, and soon wanted to claim the land of our fore- 
fathers. Crimes followed in their foot-steps of extermination, to- 
gether with race hatred has covered nearly sixty-five years of 
their amials. Worr-e than the shot and shell, it l>rought the pride 
of oui- race to their graves long ago. The introduction of whiskey 
brought desolution and ruin upon us, without an example story 
to tell. They ruined the splendid morals of our women, and led 
them to prostitution, which they had never known since the re- 
creation of our kingdom. They filled their bodies with loathsome 
disease that we had never known since the world began, and our 
Indian doctors gave up in despaii' for they could not find any 
cure for these diseases. W^hen our loyal good men rose up and 
remonstrated against these outrages, these foreign white men were 
wont to abuse us and call us savages, and sent some of the tribes 
away to distant resei\ations to starve and die. They called our 
women "Scjuaws", and oui- men "Bucks". It seems they had an 
idea that we did not ])osscss human souls, cherished with the 
human love of devotion. They claimed our lands and their hist- 
orians termed us as, "the wild denizens of the forest," as if we 
were foreigners in the remoter ages of a vast anticiuity. Fortune 
seekers, gamblers and cut-throats liv(Ml with our women in adultery 



THE DELUGE OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 131 

until they grew weary of them and left them with children. Poor 
little children of their own flesh and blood, children without a 
birth and without a parent to legalize them as his own. The 
fathers of the animal kingdom are proud to fight for their young 
and will not abandon them, even in the jaws of death. Can 
such a class of people as this have a soul, when they have com- 
mited such outrages upon my people and have disgraced the 
living by their deeds? The origin of our race was proud, the 
proudest that ever walked the earth, and when these children 
find their pride forever robbed by no fault of their own, their 
proud hearts break down in the sorrowful years that follow, as 
their fallen parentage leads them to unhonored graves. Such sorrow- 
ful processions as these follow each other under the gloom of 
oppression. I have today looked among my tribe of the Po-lick- 
la's and the Pech-ic-la's and am deeply grieved to find but very 
few babies born of good pure blood, that is not tainted with the 
virus of venerial diseases. Where do these pathetic conditions 
arise? We are reluctant to point again to the white man. In 
some instances a large family of brothers and sisters do not know 
their true relationship. I dare say, perhaps each one came from 
a different father, and the father comes from God knows where, 
and has gone they know not where, but such a father will un- 
doubtly answer at the Throne of the Almighty God. I pray that 
God may have mercy upon such children who are left to suffer 
the disgrace of an unworthy parent. Today where the Klamath 
rears its regal monarchs of the forests, where it rears its lofty 
mountain peaks from its rugged shores, and mingles its waters 
with the Pacific Ocean, this glorious country once in its beauty 
and pride, I have scanned its hostage and find not one, whose 
birth will admit them to that holy lodge, not one who can burn 
its sacred fires at the sacred alter. The Talth are waiting ever, 
for no more will answer their piteous pleadings, to save and cher- 
ish a sublime religion. A precious few of the middle aged have 
the birth, but their morals in a larger sense, have been corrupted, 
their integrity has been undermined until they think a promise 
broken is better than a promise kept, therefore, while the world 
lasts they can never be admitted to this sacred lodge. Some of 
the ken-ne-ah men have been honest enough to wed our women 
under their laws, and some of them have married under both the 
white man's and the Indian's marriage laws. Most of these men 



132 THE D]:Lr(;K OF THE KLA^L\TH LXDLVXS 

have l)r()U^ht uj) lai'^c families, aiul the children from the>e unions, 
on an averajie, make men and women that tlie American nation 
mi^ht well be jiroud of. 

The High Priests say today, that from their anci(Mit teacii- 
ings, and their ancient reli<z;iou, that the corruption of the ken-ne- 
ah's (whites) amonij; themselvc^s. and the demoralization of their 
own race, that the two races are IxH'oming V(M\v wicked. r^Ien 
and wonuMi alike use profane languages, men del)auch their women 
into i)rostitution, the whiskey and wine from the saloons pierce 
the hearts of young men and womtm alike, bi-eaking up the ties 
of peaceful homes, and tearing asuntler the love of human hearts, 
thus leaving desolation as it goes on. The greed for riches by 
trickery and descension in general leads the Talth to believe very 
strongly, that ere long God will send the great conflagration that 
will consume all the world in flames, and that its people will 
pass away. Over their ashes (lod will ci'eat(^ another people, 
where they will build their stately mansions, of the soul unto God. 
Over the ashes of the ol)literated ages, will prosper a new people 
with new governments, and new laws, and the ages of peace and 
happiness will dawn again, shedding its radiance of glory over the 
entire world. Thus have prophesied our High Priests. 



Wim M^\ l^MM) Mim Mms] liMm l^Mm 
@^ S^ ®^ §^^ ®^ §^ S^ 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE HIGH PRIESTS. 



THE Talth are born under the highest marriages, and there 
has been at no time biit very few of them, on account of 
the scarcity of cheek (money) to make the marriage. There 
had to be twelve pieces to make one string, (caw-ton-a) they count 
them only as ten pieces, and it makes twelve strings, so that 
when it is counted there will be one hundred and forty-four pieces. 
The woman that a Talth may marry does not have to be of a 
Talth family, but can be born of the middle or wealthy class. 
Her people can match l)ack, or nearly so, in valuable articles for 
the twelve strings of cheek, that he gives. Under such a marriage 
as this there may be several children. Now if the mother and 
father are full blooded Klamath Indians, then their children are 
of the right birth, yet there may be one, and perhaps two of 
them, which is not often the case, that might be of the right 
disposition, close of tongue and bright of mind, so as to weigh all 
matters of whatsoever kind intelligently, giving a broad minded 
and liberal decision in any case. This applies the same, both to 
man and woman, and if all is satisfactory, either he or she, un- 
der the birth can be admitted to the Talth lodge, and sometimes 
they are taken through only one part and cannot go further, and 
sometimes they are taken through two parts and are not taken 
any further, and but few are taken through the whole and be- 
come a Talth. And no less a number than three can act in the 
lodge, and make a fourth to be a Talth. Now all 

these other children are of the high birth, and are put to act in 
many important places to fill at the festivals and in other ways. 
Many of them never make an application to become a Talth, and 



134 THE III(;H PRIESTS 

many of them are rejected, and not allowed to even make a 
start if their conduct is not proper. There never has been one 
hon\ that is half wliite, or any part of any other tribe, that was 
ever achnitted to the lodf^e. They must be full blooded Klamath, 
of the upper or lower division of the tribe, and down the coast 
from All-man to Trinidad. The upper rivers from the junction 
of the Trinity speak a different language, and inter-marry very 
freely, and have the Talth lodge in which they w^ork together. 
Up the river they have entirely lost it all now, and have not one 
lodge left. At the mouth of the Klamath the old lodge has 
tumbled down, but not one of the Talth is left. At Pec-wan, 
twenty-five miles from the mouth of the river is the Talth house, 
where all of their working tools are kept, and it is 3'et in a good 
state of preservation, the lodge is left but it is old the dilapidated. 
We have in our breast the feeling of love for the present 
white race, which love was instilled in us by the cherished re- 
membrance of our Wa-gas. We loved this race and this is the 
reason our women are so wiUing to marry the wdiite man, and so 
easy to be deceived by them. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 



WHEN the fish dam is put in, they have very strict laws 
governing it. There are nine traps which can be used, one 
belongs to Lock and his relatives, one to Lock-nee and 
his relatives, one to Nor-mer and her relatives, and so on down the 
line. These families come in the morning and each one takes 
from the trap that which belongs to them, as many salmon as 
they need, by dipping them out \nth a net that is made and 
used for this purpose, and they must not let a single one go to 
waste, but must care for all they take, or suffer the penalty of 
the law, w^iich was strictly enforced. After all these get their 
salmon, then comes the poor class, which take what they can 
use, some of which they use fresh and the rest they cut up, smoke 
them lightly then they are dried. When they are dried they are 
taken down and packed in large baskets with pepperwood leaves 
between each layer, so as to keep the moths out of them, and 
then they are put away for the winter. The Indians from up 
the river as far as they are able to come, can get salmon, and 
down the river the same. In these traps there get to be a mass 
of salmon, so full that they make the whole structure of the fish 
dam quiver and tremble with their weight, by holding the water 
from passing through the lattice work freely. After all have taken 
what they want of the salmon, which must be done in the early 
part of the day. Lock or Lock-nee opens the upper gates of the 
traps and let the salmon pass on up the river, and at the same 
time great numbers are passing through the open gap left on the 
south side of the river. This is done so that the Hoopa's on up 
the Trinity river have a chance at the salmon catching. But they 



i:^() LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 

keep a v\o>v watch to see tiiat the-re are enough left to effeet the 
spawning, by which the supply is kept up for the following year. 
The whites have often said that the Indians ought not to l>e all- 
owed to put in the fish dam and thereby obstruct the run of 
salmon to their spawning ground, and it has l)een published in 
the jiajK^rs that the fish dam ought to l)e toi'ii out. One year 
it was ])ul)lished in the county papei's that it had been torn out 
by the wardens, this was a false publication as it was never torn 
out by Indians or whites. On the other hand after the salmon 
cannery was established at Reck-woy, which is at the mouth of 
the river, the whites and the mixed bloods commenced to fish 
for the cannery; the whites have laws that no one is allowed to 
let a net extend mon> than two thirds the distance across the riv- 
er, and wardens are paid to see that the law is obeyed, yet the 
whites set one net from one side two thirds across, and then just 
a few steps up another net from the other side, and which extends 
two thirds across in distance, and in a distance of sixty 
yards, there \\ill be from eight to ten nets, making so complete 
a net-work that hardly a salmon can pass. Will the whites pre- 
serve the salmon through all the ages, as the Klamath Indians 
have done, if they should survive so long? Not unless they en- 
force the hiws more strictly. 

While the fish dam stands against the strain of the press- 
ure of the water and salmon, Lock, Kock-nee, Nor-mer, all the 
girls (wah-clure) and the boy (char-rah) remain and watch things 
until the water raises and washes the dam out. which often takes 
two and three months, and then they all go to their homes, glad 
that the dam is washed away. Lock and Lock-nee, during all 
this time at the fish dam, use the utmost care and precaution 
to see tliat they' are all kept in good health, bathing daily and 
keeping clean, so as not to soil their beautiful buck skin dresses 
that has taken the most skillful and patient work to make, and 
the most patient and skillful work to clean if soiled. All tiiis 
whole ceremony of i)utting in the fish dam has l)een carried 
through so precisely with the teachings that have been handed 
down to them through many generations as God's laws, that a 
white man, to see it and understand the meaning of the differ- 
ent parts, and then not have a decent respect for it and cairy 
liimself accordingly, has not been born of a God-loving mother. 
The writer has helped as a Nor-mer in putting in the fish dam 



LAWS OF THE FISH DAM 137 

and knows the meaning of every move that is made. 

These sacred laws were given to us by the white race of 
people that inhabited this country when my people first came to 
this land. The Wa-gas in ancient times first put in the fish dam 
some twenty-four miles farther down the river, at a place called 
by the Indians as Tu-rep, which is a flat bar containing some 
eighty or a hundred acres, and is located on the south side of 
the river, the north side which is steep, being nearly a bluff, the 
same as it is at Cap-pell. The Wa-gas changed it from Tu-rep 
to Cap-pell, saying that Tu-rep was to close to the ocean. At 
that time the river went into the sea at Ah-man, six miles north 
of the present mouth of the river at Reck-woy. Cap-pell gave 
more of a chance for the people to get to the fish dam, and 
therefore benifit a greater number of them. They taught my 
people to put in the fish dam, and gave them all the secret and 
sacred teachings of the laws governing it. This was done before 
the great deluge that covered the world, and drowned all 
but the two Talth and their wives, who went through it all. The 
present site where the fish dam is built has been there for long 
ages, and the laws governing the fish dam are very ancient, and 
are now lost forever. They may put it in, but not by the sac- 
red laws and regulations that was used so many generations, as 
they are lost, and no one can get them. 



CHAPTEK XVII. 



THE ANCIENT HOUSES 



M 



ANY of the houses of the Khimath River Indians date 
hack to the pre-histoiie centuries of the long, long ago, 
and ha\(' been repaired and rebuilt many generations. 
Some of them are hallowed with alluring tradition^ and inspiring 
history, when out- people were powerful and ruled a mighty 
nation. The Indian name of these houses is Oc-lo-melth. One 
of these houses is situated at Wah-tec, less than two hundred 
yards from where the White Deer Skin Dance is held, and is 
my mother's iiouse, where she was l)orn and where she first 
looked out upon the light of a sti-ange world. The surroundings 
of this house are filknl with the romance of centuries, together 
with the wondcM'fiil histcjry of the passing ages, as it dates back 
before the Indians came to this land from Cheek-cheek-alth. 
They say the house first belonged to the Wa-gas, the white 
people that were here when they first arrived. The W'a-gas 
were very fond of ])ets and while they lived in this house they 
kept a number of deer as ))els. 

When the W'a-gas left this land, they left behind at this 
place a young man thai was half Indian and half while. He 
i-emained for some time and cared for the pets, as the Wa- 
gas cherished them. The young man became lonesome for his 
people, inspite of the fact that he was veiy devotcnl to the deer, 
and one day he answered the call of the Wa-gas and followed in 
their footsteps, to join them in the far north. .\s h(> was 
leaving he asked the Indians of my ancient blood to care for his 
pets, as he would be al)sent an<l never return. This my i)eople 
have done according to the recjuest oi the young man and out 
of their great friendship l)etween the two races. This ancient 



THE ANCIENT HOUSES 139 

house became a hallowed spot where sacred memories fill its 
every surroundings of a people that have passed away in silence 
long ago. 

In . one corner of this dwelling, within its walls, is a large 
stone trough which was made and placed there by the Wa-gas 
untold centuries ago, so they could feed their deer. The deer 
were fed upon the stalks of tobacco and the w\alth-pay, the 
stalks being pounded into fine meal, mixed together and then 
placed in the stone trough for the deer to eat. It was said for 
ages, and up to the advent of the present white race, that the 
spirits of the departed Wa-gas would come earthward in the 
deep shadows of the evening time and open a door, which was 
made in the corner of the house for that purpose, so the deer 
could come in at night and feed upon the meal. The deer 
would stealthily emerge from their forest homes at night and 
upon finding the door open would enter the house and eat the 
meal, then just before the break of day they would silently 
vanish into the forests, and the door would be closed when 
morning came. My mother has seen the deer coming toward 
the house in the dark shadows of evening, but she has not seen 
them for a good many years, as they have become hunted beasts 
of prey. 

Through the memory of the passing ages the Wa-gas left 
this land before the world was covered vnth water, and accord- 
ing to these traditions this house goes back for hundreds of 
centuries. This house has survived, with its long line of 
descendents, but it is now fading in the storm of years that are 
passing, and the place of its ruins will soon be forgotten. 

There are a number of these old houses in the different 
villages along the Klamath river, from its source to its mouth, 
and on the coast from Ah-man to Trinidad. At the present day 
most of them are deserted, and are left to sink into ruins and 
oblivion. 

The rattlesnake is called May-yep-pere, and they make 
their dwelling places under the ground and in the dark recesses. 
The children born in this house are not afraid of these snakes, 
as they never harm them. The snakes crawl out and over the 
house without restraint. I had no thought of fear, as the blood 
of ages had made me akin to these fierce reptiles, where my 
people had sheltered them and fed them for thousands of years. 



140 THE ANCIENT HOUSES 

In olden times the whole faniily would go away and leave the 
house alone for several days, sometimes for two or three weeks, 
and duiing their absence the snakes would creep out over the 
house and lie about in numerous places. If a stranger tried to 
approach the house they gave him warning, and if he attempted 
to enter they would at once be aroused into a fury and would 
attack him. My mother says that strangers have attempted to 
enter the house while the family was away and have been 
severely bitten by the rattlers. Therefore, the door of this house 
was always left unlocked, as no one would ever attempt to enter 
it that knew its strange history. If the family was at home, 
strangers could come and go at their will, as it was never 
known that the snakes ever attempted to harm any one while 
some member of the family was present. 

When the faniily would return from their sojourn, the 
head of the household, or someone who was born in this house, 
would preceed the rest. I remember it was always my mother's 
duty upon reaching the door of the house, and she would begin 
talking in a low tone of voice, saying: "We are coming home, 
we are here now and you must all go out of the way." Upon 
hearing her voice the snakes would immediately begin to creep 
away to their hiding places. Upon entering she would begin to 
tap lightly upon the floor with her cane and would keep talking 
until all the snakes would disappear, after which the rest 
of the family would enter the house, talking, laughing and 
playing without any thought of the snakes ever harming them. 

This historical house is now owned by my mother, and in 
which she has not lived for fifteen years, but up until about five 
years ago she would go almost every day and build a fire in it 
and sit around the house and weave baskets. In the past five 
years it has not been repaired and has racked into ruins, so bad 
that she does not care to enter it any more, except on special 
occasions when she wants to break up something. For the past 
twenty years she has been breaking and pomiding to pieces the 
stone bowls, trays and all the ancient implements that were left 
by the Wa-gas. She is endeavoring to destroy all these sacred 
reminisences of the prc-historic days that they may never be ruth- 
lessly handled and cmiously gazed upon l)y the present white race. 
The stone trough that the deer fed out of, is so large and heavy 
that she cannot l)i('ak it to pieces, but is letting it sink into the 




MRS. THOMPSON'S MOTHER AND FATHER, AND HER MOTHER'S HOUSE 

NOW DESERTED. 



THE ANCIENT HOUSES 141 

ground, and it is being covered with rubbish, together with its 
strange charm and facinating history, where my pen has failed to 
impress, this deep sentiment, therefore its wonderful tradition 
has faded with the closing of this chapter where a new era has 
dawned. My mother gave my husband two of the small stone 
bowls, as relics of the days that are gone forever, and he keeps 
them as cherished memories. 



CHAPTER \\ III 



THE WARS OF KLA!MATH INDIANS. 



THE Klamath Indians as a tribe, are like all other ])eople 
that have a history dating back long before the great flood 
as their legends plainly tell. They have had wars and plenty 
of theni, through all the ages, and never have laid down their 
bows and speai-s at any time to any other tribe or tribes, and 
have at different times had to fight eveiy tribe, and sometimes 
combinations of tril^es. They have many times been nearly ex- 
terminated at different places of habitation. It was at the junct- 
ion of the Trinity River, that the Hoopa's (Ar-me-musees) would 
come down the Trinity River and strike them in the center of 
the tribe, and kill, l)urn and scatter them before they could gath- 
er, and at times they would patch up the differences with the 
Hoopa's, and let it go by without war. Thus the Hoopa's be- 
came more bold and cruel, and l)egan the tactics of mutilating 
the bodies of the slain, or cut off the hair of the dead and wear 
it when dancing their war dance. These things when carried to 
a certain point would not be tolerated, so the Klamaths would 
gather in great numbers, strong enough to throw a force against 
them that they could not resist, burn their villages and drive 
them back, taking both men and women as prisonei-s, until they 
would beg for peace and things would be settled, sometimes for 
a long period. In these settlements they gave women for marriage 
on both sides, so as to make I'elationship between them, which 
would keep long and everlasting peace periods. The Klamath 
Indians would take Hoopa men for slaves and give their own 
men for slaves, but at all times these were of the low birth and 
slave class that was given in this mannei', and never t)f the 
wealthy class. 



WARS OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 143 

Our tribe extended to the mouth of the Klamath and six 
miles north to Ah-man, and here they had to fight back the 
treacherous Crescent City and Smith River Indians, these He-nas 
were hard fighters, brutal in every way, killing women and child- 
ren, and when they took a fancy to a fine looking young woman 
they would exterminate her people, and take her and try to kill 
her by being abusive and starving her. The Klamaths would 
fight the tribe for such deeds, and they would fight on and on 
for many years, and settle and patch up until the He-nas would 
do some unbearable act, when the Klamaths would gather a strong 
force and go after them. On several occasions they nearly exter- 
minated the whole tribe of the He-nas. They were married and 
mixed in relationship with the Klamaths for over one hundred 
miles up the river, but the Klamath women dislike to marry 
among them on account of their cruelty. On the other hand the 
He-na women were pleased to get the opportunity to marry Klam- 
ath m<m. Our tribe extended down the coast as far as Trinidad, 
a distance of over fifty miles, and here they had to fight back 
the Mad River and Humboldt Bay Indians, which we call the 
Way-etts. The Way-etts were a large tribe, fat and lazy, living 
mostly on clams, shell fish, mussels and other fish. They were 
not good wariors, but strong in numbers, and the Klamaths eas- 
ily held them to the line of their own territory, and with the Way- 
etts they would not mix in marriage, claiming that they were to 
low in morals and did not make and live in permanent homes, 
all the time moving and camping here and there. 

The Klamaths had some wars with the Redwood Creek 
Indians and some with other small tribes, and held themselves 
all through the ages, so as to have many that could call them- 
selves pure blooded Klamath Indians 

The worst of all the wars was, that the Klamath Indians 
were almost continually fighting among themselves, village against 
village, sometimes close together and sometimes far apart, one 
rich family and their slaves against another rich family and their 
slaves. The great festival, one of which was held each year un- 
less prevented by some great calamity, would bring about an al- 
most complete settlement of their differences, and bring them to- 
gether on as near friendly terms as could be had, and caused the 
fighting to be stopped for nearly half the time, in many cases 
stopping it for all the time. In this way the Klamath Indians 



144 WARS OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS 

were kept from cxtermiuatiug themselves, and were held together 
as a powerful tribe, there being several thousand of them when 
the first white men came. Our tribe was governed by the Talth 
and without ever having a chief. 

My people wore hats or caps that we made with our own 
hannds by weaving them out of our basket material, with the 
different marks or designs wove into them, for many generations 
before the coming of the ])resent white people. No woman would 
wear a hat that she would make herself, believing that it was 
unlucky for her to do so. 

It is a pleasure for me to say that mj^ people never had 
a war with the present white people, for in the first coming of 
Ken-e-ahs we took up all differnces of a serious nature between 
us and settled it ourselves, so as to make it satisfactory with 
them and forced it to be satisfactory with my people. Thus we 
kept down those of our people that were disposed to go to bloody 
wars, and only for this we might have held the whites back for 
a long time on account of the roughness of the country. It is 
only about seventy years since we first knew of the white people 
that are here now. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



THE MARRIAGE LAWS. 



THE Klamath Indians intermarry to some extent with the 
surrounding tribes. The upper and lower divisions of the 
Klamath tribes marry very freeh'', being the same tribe, 
with the exception that their language is different. The two div- 
isions are so closely associated with each other that many of our 
people speak both languages fluently. It was always considered 
a good marriage for a man of the lower division to marry a wom- 
an of the upper division, or a man of the upper division to marry 
a woman of the lower division, but they always preferred to marry 
outside their own division if possible, as they were not so liable 
to marry relations. It was not considered good to marry relat- 
ions, even to fifth and sixth cousins, as their law taught them 
that marrying blood relations was a crime against posterity. It 
was considered a crime for parents to bring demented or deform- 
ed children into the world. By marriage they keep a close trace 
of their relationship, the woman never loses her identity by 
marrying, as she takes the name of her husband and the hus- 
band takes the name of his wife, as the following will illustrate: a 
Trinidad woman marries a man of the Pec-wan village, the Ind- 
ain name of which is Cho-ri, therefore the woman is Cho-ri wom- 
an, and they call her husband after marriage Cho-rosh; the hus- 
band is a Pec-wan man, therefore they call the wife after him 
and call her Pec-wish-on. The children are called Pec-wan-alth, 
and are always addressed by these names which remind them 
that their mother is a Cho-ri woman, and their father a Pec-wan. 
This custom is followed so that they can trace out their relation- 
ship exactly for generations. 



146 MAHRIAGE LAWS 

Occa>ionally a Tallli will many tlic daughter of a wealthy 
family, howt'vcr. they are very careful in selecting their wives, 
as they usually maiiy into the Taltli families, if thf\v can marry 
where there is no rehilior.shii). Some of the very rich nuMi had 
plural wives, or as many wives :is they cared to support, l)Ut the 
averag;e Indian h;id but one wife. There has l)een sonu; instances 
of plural mani;iges since the white man made his a])pearance 
on the Klamath River, one of which I will make special mention 
of. This Indian who had made eleven women his wives, was 
born under the very lowest mariirg^' laws, at the Wah-teck vill- 
age and was known as Ca-wah-ter; his parents were extremely 
poor, living in poverty and s(|u;!or at the Wah-tec village, where 
they rai-e(l a lar;2;e family of children. The romance of his par- 
ents was \-ery pathetic as they had nothing to give in exchange 
of the mai-riagc \-ows, except some manzanita t)erries. The exch- 
ange of food stuffs in the marriage ceremony is considered the 
very lowest of marriages that could be called a marriage. From 
this lowly marriage were born several bi others and one sister, 
Ga-wah-ter and his lii'otheis. when th(\y had grown into manhood. 
were all industrious and became good managers in .securing wealth, 
as the l)it1er taunts of the poverty of their parents urged them 
on to greater ambitions. While they were children, the children 
of the middle and wealthy class would not a.ssociate wath or piay 
with them, always being coldly shunned by the other children 
and looked down upon as unworthy of resi)ect. Children of the 
wealthier class would always make in.sinuations that the lu'others 
and sister of this family were born under the very lowest of 
marriage, that their |)arents wen nothing, hardly worthy of notice. 
These childi'en grew up almost in desperation, being d(>spised so 
uuich foi' their poverty, and the storms of insinuations were con- 
tinually hulled at them in defiance, to become anything better, 
where theii' l)irth was so lowly. When th(w reached manhood, 
they were sli-icken with remorse liecause of their lowly birth right, 
their pai'ents were both l)orii of good birth, their families having 
at one t'unv a good deal of wealth before they were married so 
unfoi-tunately. With th.at remorse of poverty sunken dcH'p into 
their heai'ts thes(> \(iung men starlcMl out in the jjursuit of tin; 
Indian life to hunt, Ira)), fish and aciannulate all the wealth they 
could possibly get. Marly and late the brothers were always at 
work, as great ambitions spurned tliem on to accumulate vast 



MARRIAGE LAWS 147 

riches, and rise up from the lowly depths, where they had been 
so despised. They worked and banked their wealth together until 
they became very rich, then they separated and married, each 
taking his portion of the wealth as they went to difTerent places 
to make homes for their families. 

Ga-wah-tcr, with renewed energies everytime he thought of 
the bitter stings of his early boyhood years and struggles, deter- 
mined to become one of the richest men on the lower Klamath 
River. His prayers were so sincere, his ambitions so great, his 
toil so earnest, that his reward came after the weary years of 
struggle, for he was now one of the richest men the Klamath 
River had known for generations. He rose to power and great- 
ness from a miserable down-trodden child. Now his triumphs 
were supreme, for he had crowned himself with success and ever- 
lasting power, and could now look down upon those who had 
scorned him so much in his youth, for they could never be so 
rich as he. When his vast fortune was made, eleven wives shar- 
ed his home at Ser-e-goin village, where he spent most of his 
wedded life. His first wife belonged to the upper division of the 
Klamath Indians, and was the romantic bride of his life, as he 
had given to her the love of his young manhood, and his tender 
devotion was hers throughout the years of their wedded life. 
When the ten other brides had come to dwell in their home, she 
remained his constant companion and counselor of the household. 
One to five children were born to all the wives except the first 
wife. Sometimes the wives would all get to quarreling and be- 
come very insolent to one another, when the husband would appear 
upon the scene and whip them all, except his first wife, he never 
punished her as he loved her more than all the rest. 

For many years, with riches, wives and children around 
him, he was a powerful member of the Klamath Indians. As he 
grew old, family troubles arose among his relatives and sons, 
which resulted in blood-shed and loss of lives. One day, under 
the excitement of all these troubles, he started to swim across 
the river as no canoe was at hand, and while swimming across 
at Ser-e-goin village severe cramps overtook his already tired 
body, and he met the tragic death of drowning. A very large 
family of children were left fatherless, and the wives separated off 
from the home at Ser-e-goin, each one taking her own children, 
Some of these children are alive yet and have a great deal of 



148 MARRIAGE LAWS 

wcalih. This closes the suinniafy of one of the plural nianiaji;es 
of the KlaiiKilh Indians. 

Some of tlu' Talth had phii'al \vi\-('s, hut they always luarried 
the first wife by the hi.tilipst marriage eei-emony, so that the 
chilch-eu horn undei- this marriaji;e would Ije eligible to be admitt- 
ed to the sacred lodge. As before, the husbantl takes the wife's 
name and is always addressed by her name, while the wife is 
addressed l)y the husband's name, an exchange of names as well 
as the exchange of marriage vows. The other women that may 
l)e maiiied to a Talth, imder the plural marriage, are not inar- 
ri(>d by the highest marriage laws, therefore, their children can 
n(>ver be admitted to the sacred lodge. Plural marriages among 
the Talth are very seldom, and a Talth untler no cii'cumstances 
will marry a slav(% or any one of the low class. The Talth usually 
select their wife oi' husband with great care from the families of 
high birth. When they marry they live very happily, and are 
devoted to their families. Tney were never known to gamble or 
drink the white man's whiskey, their soul being free from all temp- 
tations. I will here illustrate the devotion of one of the Talth 
mai-riages. This Talth was of a very wealthy family of the Pe>> 
wan village, who married a wimiaof the Tar.>p villige. Under 
the Indian laws of marriage, the husband took his wife's name 
and was known as Tui--rep-ah-wah and the wife was known as 
Pec-wish-on. Aftei- they had been mai'ried for two or three years 
the wife contracted a chronic illness, which made her almost a 
helpless invalid for a number of years, and the devoted hus])and 
would cook, wash, sweep and attend to all the household duties. 
He remained by the side of his sick wife day and night, admin- 
istering to her every want, le id her t(Miderly about, take her in 
his canoe for long boat rid;'-; on tli:' rivei-, that she might get 
the fi'csh air and giow sti-ong ag;iin. He securcnl the very best 
Indian Doctors foi- her, and payed all the doctor bills during all 
the the-e years of her ilhu^ss. His kind patience and attentions 
towaril> her, never failed him, as he contimied in this way, giv- 
ing uj) all his time to his wife for a number of xcars, until at 
last, with all his effoit, he succe(Mled in almost m.aking her well, 
and she is yet alive. He lived for a few yi^ars, tluMi died leav- 
ing hei' a widow. 

The Talth mari'iage is a long cei'emony, wliei'e a gi'cat deal 
of wealth is exchanged between the two families of the bride and 



MARRIAGE LAWS 149 

groom. This ceremony is principally performed by the Indian 
money, cheek, which is a long slender shell, conical in shape and 
is incHned to be curved. It is about one and a half to two and a 
quarter inches in length, and is valued according to its length, 
and longer the shell the more value it is. This money is meas- 
ured by the rings of the joints of the middle finger from the in- 
side of the left hand, and it takes twelve pieces of cheek to make 
one string, which is called cor-ton-a. In stringing the cheek 
they put the two large ends together and the two small ends to- 
gether, this is done to prevent the shells from cupping inside.. 
In estimating the value of a string of cheek, we hold one end of 
the string between the fore-finger and thumb-nail of the left hand, 
drawing it tightly up the arm towards the shoulder, keeping the 
arm extended straight. Ten of the cheek on the string are measur- 
ed in this way, not measuring the two which makes twelve on 
the string, as the twelve only make ten, according to our numer- 
ation; we do not count the extra two cheek on the string as we 
wish to give full value, so that no one \vill be able to find any 
fault as to the value of the string. In measuring the cheek a 
tattoo is made on the arm where the end of the string comes, so 
they can easily detect if any of the cheek has been exchanged, 
should it happen to be handled by different persons. In marriage 
the young Talth gives twelve strings of this cheek to the parents 
of his bride, as it is the real Indian money that we brought from 
the old land of Cheek-cheek-alth, the parents give in exchange 
other valuable articles to their son-in-law. The elder Talth al- 
ways attend these high marriages, bringing with them the herb, 
walth-pay, with which they give the benediction to the bridal 
couple, in wishing them peace, love, happiness and success. 

The children born under these marriages are selected by 
the Talth and are given the opportunity to become a Talth. A 
Talth is very reserved and never advances to meet anyone who 
is a stranger that is inquiring into our traditions. Our traditions 
and religion are too sacred to be expounded before strangers of 
another race, therefore the white man has received most of his 
allegory from the lower classes of the Indians. This type of In- 
dian readily gives the fairy tales of the tribe, such as mothers 
and grandmothers tell to the little children for their amusement, 
and these are the stories that the white man is made to believe 
as the true traditions and religion of the Indian. These stories 



i:.() marria(;e laws 

are no more like the tindiliuns and i-elifiion of the Indiim than 
daylight is like night. 

Ther(^ is anotiiei- marriage law that is termed among the 
Indians as, "half married." The prospective husl)antl gives but 
a small sum t)f articles, of little value, and receives in ]-eturn a 
few articles of liltk^ \'nlue. In this mai'i'iage the husband is tak- 
en to the wife's home to li\'e, or in the same house with her par- 
ents, and the wife, in this marriage, is the liead of the house- 
hold and the huslxmd is compelled to o])ey her in whatever she 
commands him to do. He is compelled to fish, hunt, work and 
support her folks just as much as he supports his wife, while the 
wife teaches the childicn and rules them a})solutely, as the hus- 
band has no right to correct his own children or make them 
mind in any way. When these children become men and w^omen 
they nuist marry according to their mother's wishes, as the hus- 
l)and has nothing to say as to their conduct, or pursuits of 
happiness in life. However unpleasant it may seem to him, he 
must bear it all with patience and silence. If he refuses to obey 
his wife and children, she can make his sui'roundings in home 
life very unpleasant for him, and if he wishes to dissolve the 
marriage vows and she is willing, he has nothing to do but to 
walk out of the house, as his wife guides the children and rules 
the household, and owns everything that Ijelongs to him, except 
his own individual life, ev(>n his ow^n children acknowledge him 
as their father in flesh and Ijlood, but no more. 

There is a slave marriage where, they being absolute paup- 
ers, having no home of their own and no articles to exchange in 
in the marriage ceremon}', they are married by the exchange of 
food-stuffs, and this is considered to be the lowest marriage that 
could be called a marriage. "When the}^ have a divorce they do 
not have nuich trouble in separating as articles are given back 
by their masters and a settlement is usually made easy. 

In some of the Indian marriages, they do not mate happily. 
After they have been married a sliort time, or even a number of 
years, serious, trouble arises and results in a final separation, and 
when such a separation is agreed upon, and there are no child- 
ren, all the valuables exchanged at the marriage alter are re- 
turned accortlingly. If there are children and the father wants 
them to remain legitamate he nuist be very careful in counting 
out the valuables or the wealth that he wants returned from 



MARRIAGE LAWS 151 

his wife's people, He must divide a portion of the wealth that 
he gave to his wifes people on his wedding day, to each child, 
the remaining portion is given back to him. If all the valuables 
of exchange between the contracting parties are returned to him 
or his people, this leaves the children as bastards, without a law 
to protect them from slanderous tongues and no rights to a leg- 
itimate birth. Thase children are forever looked down upon by 
the Indian society, as bastards without a marriage to legalize 
them as the off-spring of respectable parents. I can truthfully 
say that in the past twenty-five years, and more, since the advent 
of the white man among the Klamath Inchans. that most of the 
white men have married under the half married system, until 
there are no Indian marriage laws. The "squaw" gives her "white 
buck" her home and supports his low born half breed children, 
while he idles his time away on the Indian ranches or lies about 
in a drunken stupor. Yet these same Avhite men cry, is there no 
redress for the Indain. has he no soul to save? Oh, not a soul 
to save under these conditions. But why do these white men 
hang around the Indian ranches and reservations, living off the 
toils of the Indian? There is a pathetic story in this nefarious 
business of human lives. The Indian himself has followed pur- 
suit after his white brethern in the half married system, or not 
marrying at all, until there is no sacred marriage tie. This shows 
positive!}', that the Indian laws are forever lost. Education is 
the only way out of these difficulties, for those who have had an 
opportunity to attend the schools have married under the laws of 
the United States, and these laws must be enforced, since all the 
Indian laws have been abolished by the degenerate white men. I 
trust the day is not far distant when the degenerate white man 
will no longer be tolerated to camp on the reservations and leave 
in his path the ruination of human lives. 

Before the appearance of the white man, the marriage of 
the middle and wealthy classes were considered sacred, the most 
sacred ties that could bind a human being for the cause of the 
future generation, Divorces were considered a disgrace upon pos- 
terity and a shame upon moral society, therefore, divorces were 
few and far between. When a divorce cause was pleaded, usually 
trouble ensued that resulted in bloodshed before the case would 
be settled. These divorces sometimes left the birth of the child- 



l.Vi MARRIAGE LAWS 

rcii for slaiulcrous l()iit;u('s to assail, and when these rliihh-eii be- 
came of age they would resent bitterly the action of their fatluM- 
and mother, and the feud would be renewed, sometimes for several 
generations before a final settlement would be made. Divorces 
among the Indians were very difficult to obtain, as is was ruin- 
ous to posterity, and a menace upon society. Among the Talth 
divorces were unknown. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES. 



THE Indians play a game that is similar to the white man's 
football game, with the exception that the Indians use sticks 
and the white man a ball, therefore this game has been 
termeH in English as the "stick game", the Indian name for it 
is oh-wetlth-per. They select the giants, or the greatest athletes 
of the tribe to make up the two teams. In this contest one div- 
ision of the tril)e will offer a challenge to the surrounding tribes, 
and the challenge is contested by any division, who think they 
are capable and strong enough to make the meet. The Klamath 
tribe usually played games with the upper division of the tribe 
and often plays against the Honpa Indians, and sometimes the 
Smith Rivers. Each side would put up large sums of money and 
valuable articles for their chosen team, which would cause much 
excitement in betting and gambling upon the games. The side 
of the victorious team would win large sums of Indian money, 
which would add to the wealth of their division and make them 
more powerful. Therefore, each division would be very careful in 
selecting their giant athletes. The tallest, quickest, strongest and 
the most splendid physiques of men were chosen. 

The Indians selected a level piece of ground, upon which 
to play the game. There is one of these famous play grounds 
but a few yards from the Wah-tec village. This game it very 
ancient as the Indians say that it goes far back into the ages, 
and through the memory of evolution they have carried it forward 
down to the present day, where it will soon be lost forever un- 
less the advent of the new race revives the old spirit of the game 
again. Upon the play ground they draw a very large circle with 



i:.4 TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 

linos across it, then st(^pping to the centcn' of this circle they 
make a small round hole which is al)out Un\ inches across at the 
surface, antl from this hole they draw several other lines out to 
the larj^e circle, thus mapping out the different points of the game, 
as on a tennis court. They take two little sticks, about thi'ee 
inches in length and carve out a nob at each end, then they 
fasten these two sticks together with a strong buck skin string 
and spread the initied ends apart alnjut two inches, then they 
jilace the two tied sticks in the holes in the center of the court. 
Each team consists of twelve men, and they have an umpire to 
give the signal to start the gume. and to see that no foul or un- 
f.air means are taken by either side of the team. The men in 
each team have round sticks about twent}' inches in length and 
are sti-aight witli the exception that a hook is made or carved on 
one end, which is used for the purpose of hooking the tied sticks 
and tossing them about. There are twelve points to be played, 
in this game. 

When the two teams are lined up on the court, the um- 
pire give-; the signal for them to start, and the game is on. The 
Icadei's of the teams are watched from l)oth sides, and scramble 
to see which side hooks the tied stick first from the middle of 
the court with his stick, and toss it as far as he can over his 
opponent's side of the court. Both teams now make a wild scram- 
ble, and ])ile np on one another in theii' effoi't to hook the sticks 
again with their sticks, and toss them back into their opponents 
territory. If one of the teams can manage to toss the tied sticks 
out over the large circle of the court, on their opponent's side, 
they are the ones who win the point in the game. The team 
that can win the lai'gest score in the number of j)oints playeil in 
the game, are the winners. The chami)ion team is applauded 
and praised loudly by the inunense crowds that gathei' to witness 
these interesting games. The players in theii' wild enthusiasm 
for the glorious laui'cls of victory usually clash togethei' so i-ough- 
ly in their efforts to rescue the sticks from the other players, 
that occasionally some of tluur number get hurt, and often crip- 
pled for life. There are som(> instances where a player has V)een 
killed outright upon the court, in his desperate struggles against 
the on-rushing ciowd. 

in olden time when this game was played so nmch, there 
lived a young Indian by the name of 8u-me-ah-chene, who be- 



TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES _ 155 

came one of the greatest athletes that the tribe ever had. He 
became so skilled in the game that he would never lose a single 
point His dwelling place was on top of a high mountain that 
I'ose up in it majestic grandeur from the north-east banks of the 
Klamath River, and this place was over a distance of five miles 
from the village of Ca-neck, and this mountain was named in 
honor of the great champion and still bears his name to this day. 
being known among the Indians as the mountain of Su-me. Su- 
me-ah-chene became very proud of his accomplishments in this 
favorite game, and issued a challenge to all the young men of 
the surrounding tribes, as he was anxious to match himself against 
any of their champions. His challenge was finally taken up by 
a young man who lived back of Trinidad and whose dwelling 
place was also located on a high mountain, east of Trinidad, to- 
ward Redwood Creek. The grandeur of this mountain can be 
seen many miles away, up and down the coast and from many 
places far back on the surrounding mountains. This mountain is 
covered with a huge growth of pine and redwood timber, and is 
known among the Indians as Cay-way-ett mountain, being nam- 
ed after the famous athlete who lived upon its summit, Su-me- 
ah-chene hearing of Cay-way-ett 's intentions of taking up the 
challenge, sent him word that he was ready to play. Cay-way- 
ett at once accepted the challenge, and they made arrangements 
to play the game on the Klamath River, at the village of Ca- 
neck. The court was selected at the lower end of the high river 
bar, which made an ideal place to play the game. The two 
youthful giants both belonged to the lower divisions of the Klam- 
ath tribe. Together they made arrangements for the day when 
the big meet should be held. They had now won the distinct- 
ion of being the two leading athletes of the tribes, and the}' sent 
their invitations far and near, to all the people of the tribes to 
come and witness the great feat for the championship. Inspired 
with a great enthusiasm the people assembled around the play 
ground, in a vast multitude, that was eager, restless and talking, 
as the two giants appeared upon the court with their teams. 
Striding upon the court with the spring and step of the greatest 
of athletes, they represented two handsome figures as were ever 
seen among the tribes. They proudly met as superb beings in 
stately birth and tawny muscles, and many a maiden's heart was 
thrilled with emotion, when they beheld these champions, the 



156 TWO FAMOrs ATHLETES 

handsonicst of men. The two champions had as yet been proof 
against the arrows of matrimony, and all the pretty and wealthy 
maidens of the tril)es had assembknl to behold the everlasting 
('onrag(> and endui'ance of these two strong youths. 

As the umpire gave the signal for the game to start, the 
crowds watched with kecMi interest. Su-nie-ah-chene and his team 
played hard and furious as their opponents were close upon them 
and aftei- a long and desperate struggle he and his team succeed- 
ed in tossing the tied sticks over the outer circle of the coui1, 
and won th(> first point amid the applauding and shouting of the 
spectators. An intermission for rest is always held nhw each 
point, and Su-me-ah-chene glowing in the first ti'iumphs left the 
court, and walked among the maidens to make their accjuaintance 
and hear their words of praise. As he spoke to many he linger- 
ed in a crowd of u]) river girls, wdiere his attention was attract- 
ed to three dai'k I'ved l)eauties, who had come from Cah-ah-man 
or known to the white people as Orleans Bar, he at once made 
their acquaintance and lingered, talking with them until it was 
time for him to join his team and play for the second point. Re- 
newed with strange emotions, something akin to love, the gallant 
champion played furious and won point after point, until the 
game was finished. He had not losl ;> single jioint in the game. 
During the intermission of each point, he would seek out the 
three jnctty maidens, and linger in their company until he fan- 
cied himself desperately in love wdth one of them. Laureled with 
fanu; and wealth, at the close of the game he proceeded at once 
to the girls, and walked with them as they mingled with the de- 
pai'ting crowds. Walking at the side of the maidcni he 
was loath to pai't with her at all, as he e.xtcnidedcHl to the three 
girls a h(>arty invitation for them to come and visit his home, in 
the village of Su-me. They eagerly accepted his invitation as 
they were highly honored to get the oi)poi1 unity to visit him, and 
they inquired of him how they would find his house from the 
rest of tlie houses in the village. He assured them that they 
would make no mistake in finding the house, as he descrilxMl to 
them tliat there was a large pine tree standing just in froiU of 
his home. There were no green branches on this tree as it had 
died a long time ago, and the small sap-suckers had bonnl into 
the trunk of the tree and l)uilt their homes tliere as they could 
be s(,'en flying about the tree. He gave them such a vivid das- 



TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 157 

cription of the tree, that he assured them they could not possibly 
miss his house. The girls were delighted with him and departed 
with bright anticipations in visiting the champion in his home. 
Say-gap, or the Coyote who lived in his home at the lower west- 
ern end of the Su-me village, was near the happy group and 
over heard Su-me-ah-chene's invitation and discription of the dead 
pine tree, so he planned to entertain the girls himself, that they 
may not go to visit Su-me-ah-chene in his home. 

The day that the girls had planned to visit Su-me-ah-chene, 
Mr. Coyote moved the pine tree down in front of his house, and 
when the girls arrived at the village of Su-me, they began at once 
to look for the tree Su-me-ah-chene had described to them. After 
they had looked about for a short time, one of them pointed 
down the hill to the lower western end of the village, to the tree, 
and said that must be the place they were looking for, delighted 
upon seeing the tree, they rushed down the hill to Say-gap's house. 
Say-gap met them at the door with a cordial welcome, and ask 
them in, they all entered the house and seated themselves while 
he was planning how he could best entertain the girls and make 
himself appear very attractive to them. He summoned his grand- 
mother and asked her to spread a banquet for the young ladies, 
and told her she must prepare the very best of food-stuffs they 
had in the house for the evening meal. The grandmother began 
to move aliout in the ajoining room in the rear of the house, as 
if she was preparing the food for suppei'. She had a large basket 
of acorn mush already cooked and hid away, so her nephew (he 
was her nephew instead of her grandchild) would not eat it all 
himself, as he would always eat up everything that was good and 
let her go hungry. This acorn mush she kept hid and did not 
bring it out for Say-gap and his guests to feast upon. She pre- 
tended to look among the shelves for awhile and fumbled through 
them, when she at last brouht out a large Indian plate of shrimps, 
or some sort of worm, that looked very much like shrimps. She 
came into the room where Say-gap was entertaining the girls and 
began to roast the worms on the coals. The worms would twist 
about on the coals, pop and fly all over the house. The girls 
looked at one another in dismay, and wondered if this was the 
best food that his house could afford, they became very angry 
and said that they had been deceived. Rising from the seats they 
told their hoi^t that they now did not believe him to be Su-me- 



158 TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 

ah-chene, but he was an iniposter. They fled from the house in 
a rage and returned to their homes at Orleans Bar. Say-gap 
followed them home and kept pleading, saying lie was Su-me-ah- 
ehene, their much admiretl champion of the "stick game." This 
made the girls more peeved than ever, so they made a resolution 
among themselves, that they would not accept Su-me-ah-chene's 
attentions or consider any excuses that h(> might offer, if they 
chanced to meet him again. 

Aftei- a few days the girls received woi'd that Su-me-ah- 
chene was going to play again at another l;)ig meet, so they all 
agreed to go and see it as before. At the meet Su-me-ah-chene 
in his usual good spirits was animated with glory upon winning 
the first point, so during the intermission he resolved to find the 
three girls and incjuire why they did not keep their promise to 
visit him, as he felt very much disappointed. Upon finding the 
girls he greeted them in his usual good humor, but they drew 
themselves up haughtily and refused to speak to him, as they be- 
lieved that he was making light of them and having a lot of 
amusement among his friends at their expense. As before he won 
all the points, and during the intei-missions he would return to 
the girls, thinking perhaps he could find out what was wrong and 
win their friendship again. The girls as before treated him very 
coldly, and were so haughty that they would not listen to any 
of his excu.>^es. Toward the closing of the game the three girls 
moved over on Cry-way-ett's side of the court, which provoked 
Su-me-ah-chene. When the crowds started for their homes after 
the game, Su-nu^-ah-chene said he would go down to the 
mouth of the river, at Reck-woy village to visit for a few days, 
as he had been tui-ned down by the three girls. Upon reaching 
the village, a host of pretty girls were glad to meet the much 
talked of champion, and all greeted him with a royal welcome. 
When his visit ended, he announced to the girls his intentions of 
Inlaying another game at Ca.neck with the Cay-way-ett t(^am, and 
gave them all an invitation to come. 

Again anothei" game was being held at Ca-neck, for the 
championsliip between Su-me-ah-chene and Cay-w^ay-ett. All the 
Reck-woy girls were to })e present, and were highl>' honored to 
think tliat Su-me-ah-chene himself had invited them. Su-me-ah- 
chene and his team as usual won the first point and during the 
int(>rmis-ion for rest he went tunong the Reck-wov girls to visit 



TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 159 

with them. They were all pleased to be honored with his company 
and marveled over his great athletic feats, and he soon fancied 
that he was falling in love again. This time with one of the 
pretty little Reck-woy girls. 

Su-me-ah-chene won every point as he had in the previous 
games, and after receiving the cheering congratulations of the 
Reck-woy girls, together with the maiden of his choice, he invited 
some of them to come and visit him at his home. The girls were 
pleased over the invitation to visit him, and promised to visit 
him in a few days. He described to them the dead pine tree, 
where the sap-sucker would be flying about, so they could easily 
find the house, which was located near the center of the village. 
Four of the girls came to vist the champion as they had promised, 
they crossed the river and climbed the hill to Su-me village, 
where following his directions closely they easily found the tree 
and the house. They found him home, and entered, he appear- 
ing handsomer than ever, as he greeted them with a hearty 
welcome, and said he was glad they had kept their promise. He 
entertained them so . nicely that the time went by quickly, and 
he was loathe to have them depart so soon. They were having 
such a splendid time that he suggested they spend the night at 
his home, to which the girls readily agreed. The next morning 
the girls returned to their homes at Reck-woy, very tired and 
happy after being so pleasantly entertaind by the young champion. 
A few days after the departure of the girls Su-me-ah-chene decided 
he would go to Reck-woy and return the visit, and during this 
visit a romance developed into matrimony, as he wooed for his 
bride the pretty maiden of his choice. After the wedding the 
proud little bride accompanied her husband to his home, where 
she began housekeeping in an elegant fashion. Meanwhile his 
rival Cay-way-ett and the maid of Orleans Bar had married 

After the wedding of the giants, they were very happy with 
their brides only for a short time, and they challenged each other 
for another game, to which they both agreed. The multitudes of 
people had assemblnd to witness the big meet as usual, to applaud 
and praise their favorite champion. While the two giants were 
engaged upon the court with their powerful teams, the wife of 
Cay-way-ett stole away from the crowd to the home of Su-me- 
ah-chene, upon reaching it she entered, and selected one of the 
beautiful dresses of Mrs. Su-me-ah-chene and gowned herself in it. 



m) TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 

She dolled herself up very handsomely in the dress and ornaments 
and seated herself in the seat of honor, as being the lady of the 
household. Su-me-ah-chene apiMoached Mrs. Cay-way-ett believ- 
ing her to be his wife, as she assured him that she was his Reck- 
woy wife instead of the l)iitle from Orleans. Mrs. Su-me-ah- 
ehene saw her husl)and, to her great indignation, cai'css the other 
woman and at once believed him to be unfaithful to her. She 
at once recognized the beautiful dress that Mrs. Cay-way-ett 
wore to be her own, and all this leading her to believe stronger 
than ev(^r that this strange woman had stolen the affection of 
hi'r husl)and, and that he had allowed her to usurp her of her 
household. Believing this all to be true, Mrs. Sur-me-ah-chene 
assailed her husband to his great surprise, with a hot torrent of 
angry words, and fled from him, back to her home in Reck-woy. 
The truth dawned upon the broken hearted champion that Mrs. 
Cay-way-ett had deceived him in making him Ix^lieve that she 
was his wif(% aiul at once sought his girl bride at Reck-woy, and 
pleaded at her feet to return with him to their home at Su-me. 
But her pride had been wounded beyonci endurance, and she 
haughtily turned from the greatest of champions, and the great- 
est of men, and left his stately form bowed down with greif, a 
sense of a deep loss, and the sorrowing presence of loneliness. 
Thus the true sweet bride of his affections had been ruthlessly 
borne l)y the wings of fate, away from the love of his mighty 
manhood. Grieved and hurt by this great blow, he refused the 
attentions of Mrs. Cay-way-ett. This treacherous woman had 
sought I'evenge, as she believed that Su-me-ah-chene had deceiv- 
ed her for his own amusement, when she first visited him at 
Su-me, and the Say-gap had followed her to her home at Orleans 
Bar. As the wife of the other giant, Cay-way-ett, she became 
enarmored with the mightyest of athletes, Su-me-ah-chene, as she 
remembered he was once her lover. Having lost his love after 
he became the champion, she was thrilled with passions for his 
great victories, and determined to deceive him. She falsely de- 
clared to her husband that she was going on a visit to her people 
at Orleans Bar, and he readily consented to her going. For a 
time he believed that his wife was visiting her people, but to his 
great disappointment he found her to be unfaithful to the marriage 
vows, as she was attempting to win the love and admiration of 
Su-me-ah-chene. Thus the greatest of men were robbetl of the 



TWO FAMOUS ATHLETES 161 

affections of their young brides, the cheer and comfort in their 
homes of fame and wealth, and the love of a glorious womanhood 
had faded. The moral of this story is to impress the fact upon 
the mind of a young bride that if she is fickle wdth the love of 
a great man, and plans to deceive him, in the belief that she 
will win a greater man, and a greater love, she will most likely 
to her great sorrow lose them both. Far better to love the 
truely great, who love you in return, than to lose that love in 
plotting and planning, for the greatest who love you not. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



PEC-WAN COLONEL. 



PEC-WAN Colonel (his Indian name was Mo-cjuin) had been 
for the last fifty or sixty years, the richest Indian among 
the lower Klamaths. When standing erect he was proliably 
a little over six feet, of medium build and was very graceful in 
his movement. He was a fine looking man, and every inch an 
aiistocrat. He was a decendant of a very wealthy family on 
both sides of the house, and his mother was l)orn in the Cor-tep 
village, about one hali mile below Pec-wan village. There was 
five boys and two girls of his mother's family, his LTncles, Aunts, 
and Grand-mother on his father's side, belonged to the upper 
division of the tribe, and they too were a wealthy family. Pec- 
wan, s mother was from a family of doctors, his mother and her 
two sisters being doctors, his mother was without question the 
most noted and prominant woman doctor that the lower rivers 
had among them, for the past seventy-five years or more. When 
she married his father, whom they called Cor-tep-pish, by his 
being married to a Cor-tep woman, she married a man of a very 
wealthy family, and when her mother and father died they cut 
her off, and did not give her any part of the riches of her own 
family, but divided it among the four sisters and two brothers. 
She had five children, three girls and two boys, the Colonel 
l)eing the third child, and he followed close in his mother's ways. 
She would go out and sit on her door-steps of the front porch, 
stoop over %vith her elbows on hnr knees, and coml) her hair over 
her face with her fing(>rs, then rest her chin on her hands, and 
sit gazing into the distance, and other ways, thereby causing all 
to be afraid of her except the Talth and their families, over 



PEC-WAN COLONEL 163 

whom she had no control. All the wealthy and slave classes be- 
came sorely afraid of her. Whenever the people would see her 
sitting thus, they began to murmur among themselves, saying 
that she was trying to make some one sick, and that some body 
would be sick. If some one should become sick anywhere within 
a distance of a number of miles from her, their first thought was 
that she had made them sick, and she was the one that could 
cure them. These doctors are paid in advance for their services, 
and when they came after her, instead of accepting what pay 
they brought and offered to her, she would talk with the great- 
est of shrewdness, comment on the case and demand of them 
the most valuable articles which she knew they had, and would 
scheme to get all she could. She seemed to have a magic power 
to cure, and did cure in most cases as she had perfect confidence 
in herself, and gave perfect confidence to the sick one of her 
ability to make them well; somewhat on the same principal of 
the Christian Scientist among the people of to-day. But for this 
pay the doctor has to cure the sick person, and if the patient 
should die within a year from the time, the doctor prescribed for 
them, she is compelled to give back all that was given to her. 
This doctor seldom had to return her fee and gathered wealth in 
abundance, and succeeded in her shrewd practice. Taking from 
her brothers and sisters the entire fortune that her mother and 
father had left them, she had power and influence among her 
people. She tried to make doctors of her three daughters, but 
they became the most commonest kind. She turned nearly all 
of her fortune wealth over to her son, the Colonel, and while he 
did not have the shrewdness of his mother, he managed in the 
long run by deaths and otherwise, to get possession of the great- 
er part of the wealth of so many rich relations, that he too had 
power and influence above his people. His walk, manner and 
very actions, were very impressive to any one that met him. He 
would never eat in a white man's house, my house was the only 
white man's house he was ever known to stop in over night, and 
eat at the table. He was very liberal in his own house, and the 
white man has had many meals at his table. Pek-wan Colonel 
was born at Pec-wan village, where the Talth lodge is located. 
A full blooded Klamath Indian, born of wealthy parents 
but of the middle class, and with all of his wealth and influence 
could not become a Talth, therefore he could at all times and on 



164 PEC- WAN COLONEL 

all occasions keep his place; he knew where he could come in, 
and where to keep hack with perfect ease. He was closely relat- 
ed to the Talth families, and when it came to fe.stivals, he could 
and did lead them all with more deer skins, silver grey fox skins 
and other kinds, uith enough strings of tui-k.tum and cheek to 
cover the breast of all who danced, besides long and valuable 
flints, both red and black and all kind of dancing fixtures. He 
always kept a large camp with plenty of provisions, and plenty of 
women to cook and wait on the crowds, he Avas very liberal and 
fed many. 

He w\as mean to his slaves and cared nothing for visiting 
Indians of other tribes, only his own Klamath people, and to all 
of these he was closely related to, far up the river, and he visit- 
ed them as far up as they lived. In the large festivals he could 
draw on the Pech-ic-la's, his relatives, for whatever he w'anted to 
keep him at all times in the lead. He had but one wife, she was 
also of a W'calthy family, and when he thought at one time to 
take another wife she told him plainly, that there would be no 
two wives for her, that she could and would go to her father's 
home and not return, so he gave up the notion and i-emained 
with her. 

She was a good woman, veiy kind of disposition and pleas- 
ant of manner; she never had any children, and has been dead 
now for about twelve years. There is a nephew of his named 
Pec-wan Harry, he man-ied a woman who lived close to the mouth 
JO the river at Wah-kell village and he is now^ called Wah-kell 
Harry, and they have (luite a family of children, and to him 
went neaily all of the wealth. He too is a fine looking man of 
the sam(^ build as Pec-wan Colonel. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



A NARRATIVE OF THE HUMBOLDT INDIANS. 



THE following is a true narrative of the way that the Hum- 
boldt Indians (Way-yets) have been treated and almost 
exterminated by the white man. Humboldt Bay being a 
harbor where vessels could come in and make a safe landing, was 
the place where the whites would naturally first make a settle- 
ment, and make a base from which to supply the miners and cattle 
raisers, therefore it soon became a town. First it was called 
Bucksport and afterwards named Eureka, and the whole surround- 
ing country was at the first coming of the white man thickly 
populated with Indians, there being hundreds of them, and even 
up into the thousands. These Indians, the Klamath River Indians, 
called in their language the Way-yets, and the country in which 
they lived or around Humboldt Bay, they called We-ott. They 
also had names for the different places, such as Ar-ca-tah, (Areata) 
Per-wer (Eureka), and at times they would call the whole of the 
country Per-wer. 

As the whites became more numerous they began to crowd 
the Indians l^ack more and more, never at anytime willing to 
concede that the Indians had any right to any thing that they 
wanted, until the Indians began to rebel at being drove from 
their homes, where they had lived for thousands of years. When- 
ever they made the least resistence, the whites were up in arms, 
until finally the Humboldt Indians were moved to a reservation 
at Smith River and kept there for a time, among the Smith River 
Indians. The Smith River Indians were not friendly with them, 
not treating them kindly and many of them died there for the 
want of food as they did not know the country and could not 
gather food supplies. When some of them would go out to get 



166 HUMBOLDT INDIANS 

fish or gather supiiHos the Smitli River IiuUans, being jealous of 
them, would follow antl kill them, and the soldiers would never 
saj' a word or reprimand them and only laugh at them. They 
had no medicine case when sick and had no way of treating the 
sick ones in their way. They had no sanitary provisions and 
could not keep themselves clean, which they were strict in their 
own homes. The young girls had no rights with the soldiers or 
white men and were diseased, and if an Indian made any object- 
ion to the white man's treatment, they were in return kicked and 
abused, and often killed, in this way many of them died at Smith 
River. 

The Klamath Indians called Crescent City, Caw-pay, and 
Smith River, He-na, and all the Indians are one tribe and they 
call them He-nas, but sometimes designate the certain part in 
which they live, by calling them Caw-pay Indians, So after they 
had been kept on Smith River reservation for awhile, they were 
driven like a lot of hogs, only with less care as to whether they 
lived or died, to the Klamath River Reservation, which extended 
from the Pacific up the Klamath River for a distance of twenty 
miles, extending out one mile on either side of the river. When 
they were driven to the Klamath River Reservation they were 
treated by the lower Klamath Indians in a more humane way, 
as a part of the Klamath Indians were good to them and tried 
to see them get something to live on, and would doctor the sick 
ones, helping them as much as they could, that is, a certain part 
of them would. They kept the ones that were disposed to be 
unfriendly to the poor Humboldts from doing them harm, yet 
many of them died while on the Klamath. After keeping them 
for a while the order came to move them to the Hoopa Indian 
Reservation, which is situated on the Trinity River, and comes 
down the Trinity to its junction with the Klamath River, and 
into Humboldt County; so the Humboldts were gathered together 
again by the soldiers, and were kicked and clubbed, the children 
thrown into boats, and when killed they were cast into the river. 
While this murdering was going on, the head men of the lower 
Klamath Indians, went to the Humboldts and told them to make 
a break and run and hide in the brush, for they might just as 
well perish in that way as be all killed by the brutal soldiers. So 
a good many of them made good their escape, wandering through 
the woods and the Klamath Indians picked up many of them 



HUMBOLDT INDIANS 167 

and took care of them for a number of years, while many of them 
died from exposure and starvation. I have seen the bone of quite 
a number where they had died in the heavy redwood timber, and 
the soldiers took what Inbians were left to the Hoopa Reseration. 
The Indians here did not like them and they had no way to 
gather provisions on which to live, and no way to doctor or take 
care of the sick, no sanitation by which to keep clean. Once a 
week two or three pounds of flour was given out to each family 
to live or die on. The Klamath Indians would buy beef from 
the agent and give it to them to keep them from starving, and 
when things became more quiet, the Klamath Indians took the 
most of them that they had picked up, and took them to Hoopa, 
to their own people, and left them there. After thisy had dwindled 
down to a mere nothing, by the help of the lower Klamaths a 
few got back to Humboldt Bay, their ancient home. To finish 
them up, as they were having a festival on what is now called 
Gunther Island, just north of Eureka, a crowd of six or eight 
white men, took a canoe and slipped over there in the night with 
axes, club and knives and murdered innocent men, women and 
children, which nearly exterminated the once great and numerous 
tribe of Indians, known as the Humboldts, and by the lower 
Klamath Indians, as the Way-yets. One influential Humboldt 
Indian and his family, was kept safely at Pec-wan village, by 
Wetch-ah-wah, (my own father) and after everything was quiet 
on Humboldt Bay, Wetch-ah-wah brought him and his family 
back to their home, where he lived peaceably for many years, 
having died only a few years previous to this writing. To-day 
there are not more than twenty or less Indians living, and what 
are left, have lost completely all their old and ancient customs 
and teachings. They never had only the most spurious ideas of 
the Talth Order, when they were placed here by Wah-pec-wah- 
mow (God), and given their country and language. Sometimes 
it seems hard to think of man's inhumanity, but as sure as the sun 
goes down, the white man will suffer for his wicked treatment of 
the Humboldt Indians. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 



THIS happened during the early years of my grandmother's 
life, and conceins principally a family at Reck-woy village, 
at the mouth of the river. On the south side of the river 
is a village named Wealth-quow, and at this place the Indians 
gave a large entertainment, where many guests had assembled to 
take part in the dance. This dance is commonly known in the 
English language, as the ''Brush Dance." The Indians always 
begin dancing these dances after sundown, and sometimes dance 
until late at night. Large crowds had gathered at this dance, and 
among the guests were three girl friends from across the river at 
Reck-woy, who joined the dancers in their usual custom of hold- 
ing a bunch of brush over their faces, so no one would know 
who they were. All the dancers, both men and women hold the 
bunch of brush over their faces, after the fashion of a. masquerade 
ball. While the dancers were making merry two wild Indians 
came in and joined them, with the l)rush over their faces and no- 
body knew who they were. When the dancers finished for a short 
intermission, the three Reck-woy girls left the room and went 
down to the foot of the hill, about thirty yards away where a 
spring gushed out of the hill-side. Laughingly the}' had gone to 
get a drink of nice cold water from the spring, and wash their 
faces in the cool refreshing water. As they left the house the 
two wild Indians followed them down to the spring, and upon 
reaching it, they sprang upon one of the girls, named Os-slook-o- 
may and captured her, covering her mouth \nth their hands so 
she could not scream for help, and the other two girls made their 
escape back to the house to give the alarm. Everything being 



ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 169 

favorable for the wild Indians, as the thickets grew high and 
dense, and the forests being near, they were soon lost in the inky 
shadows of the big trees, where they carried their captive. The 
two Indians traveled with the girl all night, going in a southerly 
direction away from the river, and as they went along through 
the darkness, she would take small pieces of her buck skin apron 
and tie them to the bushes, thus making a trail which aided her 
followers for a long distance. When the alarm was given that 
Os-slock-o-may had been captured by the wild Indians, the guests 
did not dance any more, and all the men who were able, went 
in pursuit of the wild Indians, to rescue the girl. They lost her 
among the dark shadows of the trees, as they could not find any 
trail to follow that night, and the next morning they all started 
out in hot pursuit, soon finding the trail she had left, The girls 
supply of strings had become exhausted and therefore had no 
means of leaving any further trace of the direction her captors 
were taking her. However, they searched the hills, creeks and 
mountains for several days, but never found her trail again, and 
she was given up to the wilds, and the procession turned home- 
ward, very sad and heart broken. 

Somewhere in the depths of a dark canyon among the 
redwoods, the wild Indians had carried Os-slock-o-may. When 
they reached their hiding place, one of the Indians made her his 
wife, after the fashion of a primeval wedding. The wild Indians 
are always very rich in all kinds of Indian wealth, and this wild 
Indian dressed his bride in the most beautiful of Indian dresses, 
made of buck skin and ornamented with shells, and lavished 
wealth upon her. A little son came to their home in the wilds, 
of which they were both very proud, and they watched the little 
'baby grow into a robust, handsome little fellow, who by nature 
inherited the ways of his father, as soon as he was big enough 
to walk and talk. He would run away from his mother and skip 
among the trees, romp among the bushes and seemingly never 
grow tired of his wild revelry; he w^ould talk and whistle to him- 
self, and this grieved his mother very much, as she had tried 
every plan to subdue him from his wild romping but of no avail. 
When the boy was about six years of age, his mother became 
very lonesome for her people, and wished very much to see them 
again, so one day she summoned up the courage to ask her hus- 
band to allow her to return to her home on a visit, as she said 



171) ROMANCE OF A WI!.!) INDIAN 

her folks were iiu)uniin<i; for luM' as lost, having given up hopes 
t)f sc(Mng her alive. He consented to let hei' go home on a visit, 
and that she eoukl take her little boy with her, so the,y began to 
make ready for the journey as it was a long distance, and the 
country was \-ery rough. The O-nia-ha (Devil) husband who was 
immensely rich, dressed his wife in one of the most beautiful of 
Indian (h'esses, and the little boy was also richly clad, and so 
they started on their journey to Rcn-k-woy. The wild man guid- 
ed and accompanied them until they nearetl the village of Wealth- 
quow, the village from whi(?h he had stolen her on the night of 
the dance, and here as they came into a small open space over- 
looking the village, he parted from his wife and little son, and 
they crossed the river and went into her native village. As she 
entered the village she was most bejnitiful to behold, dressed in 
the most gorgeous Indian dress, with her little son by her side, 
and startled friends and relatives, who had mourned her as dead, 
greeted her with much surprise as they had mourned her loss for 
nearly nine years. Her folks were over-joyed to find their long lost 
child restored to them, and with hearty greetings and a royal 
welcome, she found herself l)ack in the village of her l)irth. With 
breathless interest they sat listening to her wonderful tales con- 
cerning her life in the solemn wilds, how she had been carried 
over mountain and crag, and through the huge forests, to a 
strange home in the cave in a cliff of rocks, where one of the 
wild men had made her his wife. In this strange cave she had 
enjoyed the comforts of a luxuriant home, for her husband was 
exceedingly rich and was very kind to her and their child. From 
her description it seemed this cave was located at the source of 
Redwood Creek, which we call Cho-lu-wer-roy, in a dark canyon, 
which is perhaps over a distance of sixty miles from Reck-woy, 
off in a southerly direction. In a cave of this dark canyon, 
surrounded on every side l)y the giant redwoods, she had spent 
nine years of her life, listening to the sigh of the wind among the 
trees and strange enchantment of the babel of the brooks down 
the rocky canyon. Safe in her cave and lonely, with nothing but 
nature and a wild man to comfort her, she had grown more lonely 
as the years crept by in her desire to see her people once more. 
How they had traveled on their journey back along the creek 
beds for a long distance, over high mountains and around sheer 
walls of great bluffs, and through the awful calm of dense forests 



ROMANCE OF A WILD INDIAN 171 

and overhanging thickets, she had at last reached the home of 
her birth. Parting from her devoted husband for the first and 
last time, she faithfully promised to meet him again at the close 
of her visit, and return with him again to the cave in the wilds. 
During the first days of her visit she encouraged her boy to 
associate with the children of the village. But he could not re- 
sist the calling of that wild nature he had inherited from his 
father, and all of his mother's pleadings proved of no avail in 
changing his character. He would watch his opportunity and run 
away from the other children and play by himself, among the dense 
bushes, jumping and whistling as he would go. His mother gave 
up in despair in her efforts to change his ways. 

She remembered the day and place where she had promised 
to meet her husband, and return with him to their home, but she 
refused to go and meet him at the appointed time and place, as 
she said she never intended to return, and had merely made him 
the promise in order to get back to her people, and now that she 
was with them she would never leave them again. 

He waited in vain at the appointed place as she came not 
to meet him, and after waiting a long time he came to the con- 
clusion that she had made him a false promise, so he crept cau- 
tiously down to the river, and swam across to Reck-woy village, 
where he knew his wife was staying. When he reached the other 
side, he crept up the hill-side and concealed himself in a dense 
clump of bushes, where he could look down upon the house where 
he knew she was staying, and watched for her. His wife seldom 
ventured out of the house, as she was afraid that he would get 
her again, so she kept close indoors that he might not have any 
chance of getting her away again. One day he managed to attract 
the attention of his little son, and he came up to his father and 
they talked together, he directed the son to go and tell his 
mother to come to him, as he was waiting for her. When the 
son delivered the message to his mother, she replied that she did 
not believe this to be true, so he returned to his father, telling 
him what his mother had said. He immediately sent him back 
to her, imploring that she come to him, the mother looked puzzled 
at the boy, and said that he must be mistaken, but he said that 
he knew his father, and pleaded earnestly for her to return to 
their home in the canyon. Studying the boy's eager face a few 
moments, she replied by saying that he could choose between her 



172 ROMAXCK OF A WILD INDIAN 

and his father, ho could icniaiii with her, or go with his father, 
hack into the lonesome wikls. Tlie l)oy at once preferred his 
father and l)ade his mother farewelL Father and son returned to 
their hiding place, and the mother, who had once cheered them 
in the lonesome wilds, never saw them again, they had gone out 
of her life forever, like a dream that had come and gone, and 
faded again, with the closing day, back into the primeval redwoods, 
where you may see fathei" and son straying together among the 
mystic shadows of dreamland mountains. 

When the Indians are dancing for pleasure, such as they 
did in the brush dance, and any one wants them to dance faster 
and harder, they shout to the dancers: "hal-o-may-yah," which 
means dance harder. In this kind of dancing the word "dance" 
is called "o-may-like." But in the sacred dances, such as the 
Lodge Dance, it is called, Wah-neck-wel-la-gaw, and has a differ- 
ent meaning altogether. 




CHAPTER XXIV 



THE PROPHET WHO FAILED. 



THIS Indian was a Smith River, and the Klamath Indians 
in their tongue, called him, He-na Tom. In the year about 
eighteen hundred and sixty five, this He-na Tom, while liv- 
ing at his home on Smith River, which is north from the Klamath 
River, his wife became sick and died, and he mourned her loss 
greatly. In the fall he had a prophetic dream, which caused him 
to commence a sort of revival among the Smith River Indians, 
telling them to destroy everything they had ever received from 
the white people, discard all the clothing, houses and in fact, burn 
all and everything, and go back to their old Indian way of living 
entirely, and in a short time all the dead Indians would come 
back to life, to this world. As it happened He-na Tom had a 
sister, that was married to a Klamath River man, and they had 
a family of grown sons and daughters, and this family lived in a 
village called Ni-galth, which is situated on the west side of the 
Klamath River, opposite the mouth of Blue Creek, some eight 
miles down the river from where the Klamaths hold their White 
Deer Skin Dance. So in the fall, after the Klamaths had finish- 
ed putting in the fish dam, and the Indians from all parts of the 
country had been invited to come and see the ceremony, and the 
White Deer Skin Dance was going on, He-na Tom made his 
appearance among them with his sayings, telling them to destroy 
all their white man's goods, burn all the houses that were made 
in the white, man's way, and tear down all their Indian houses, 
but not to burn the lumber of the Indian houses, thus leaving a 
clear opening, and for all of them to bring all their Indian money 
and wealth of all kinds, and hang it up in plain view, around 



174 THE PROPHET WHO FAILED 

him where he was lying, covered with Indian blankets made of 
deer skin. He told them to go ahead ^^^th the White Deer Skin 
Dance, so when the dead ones appeared, they would all dance 
with them and make a big jubilee, and all of them who failed 
to comjily with his holy orders, and not bring their valuables, 
that it would all turn into rock or rocks, and those that disl^e- 
lieved and did not come, would themselves turn to rock. He had 
a great many of the Klamath Indians of the wealthy class, all of 
the poor class, and a few of the high class that was wild and 
willing to follow, and there was a lot of valuable property and 
things destroyed, while the shelves or tables were loaded with 
provision for the dead when they came, so they could eat, dance 
and all be joyful, while all the white people were to turn to rocks. 
Some of the wise ones of the high class, that were versed in the 
secret mysteries, hung back saying no, that they wanted to see. 
While they were claiming that He-na Tom had gone to meet the 
dead Indians, and that he would be back with them that night, 
three or four of the doubtful ones went over to where the large 
piles of Indian blanket were by a fire, and on lifting up the 
blankets behold, there was He-na Tom. They spoke to him, call- 
ing him by name, but he did not answer, his followers claimed 
that his l)ody was there, but that his spirit had gone to meet the 
dead ones. When the old ones who were so highly versed in the 
mysteries as not to be hoodwinked, had seen enough to convince 
them that there was no truth in it, they shook their heads, cjuiet- 
ly moved ba(.'k and retired to their camps or homes, saying that 
He-na's prophesies were a fake, and that he was a humbug. .\s 
it turned out, that night He-na Tom slipped down the Klamath 
River, to the mouth, and up the coast, back to Smith River, his 
home. So when the Klamaths came to gather back their valuables, 
there was considerable of it that the rightful owners could not 
find, and never did get back, which made many of th(>m very 
angi-y. 

Hc'-na Tom's brother-in-law was aftc^rwards killed, and all 
of his Klamath relations were compelled to leave the Klamath 
River, and go to Smith River to live for a number of 3'ears be- 
fore they dared to return to the Klamath again. I have long 
since found that the Klamath Indians are bad fellows, for an}^ 
one to try to play fake on. I'hey have, or used to liave, their 
wise ones, that watched the different positions of the planets, at 



• . THE PROPHET WHO FAILED 175 

different seasons of the year, and tell of hard winters, of cold or 
warm summers, and of different harvest famines. They sometimes 
had dreams that they interpeted for good or bad. Other than 
this I have never heard of them ever having prophets. 

Since the white race of people, that they found inhabiting 
the Klamath when they first arrived there, which we call the 
Wa-gas, which must have been thousands of years ago, they do 
not tell of ever having come in contact with any kind of a white 
race, or of any other race ever coming among them until the 
present white race came, which we call Ken-ne-ah. The Klamath 
River is so inaccessable, winding its way through high mountains, 
with no valleys, that to this day it is a wild country with lots of 
game and fish. And there never has been a Preacher of any kind 
among us to this day. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

TEACHINGS OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS ON ( HILD 

BIRTH. 



THE Klamath Indians say that a chikl born at the time the 
sun is at the fartherest north and on the point which it is 
to turn back south, or as the white man counts time, would 
be in the month of Deceml)er and which we count the tenth 
month, and call Cah-mo, is the worst and most objectionable 
time we have for a child to be born, most of them die young or 
in infancy, and if they live they are of little use to themselves 
or the tril)e. A child ])orn in the time in which the acorns fall, 
which would l)e from the tenth of October to the twentieth of 
November, and which time or month we call Can-na-wal-at-tow, 
is the best or one of the best times, as these children are nearly 
all l)right, healthy and prosperous, and make the leading ones. 
While children born in April, May and June, as we count the 
time, also make good, healthy and bright men and women, and 
also the leading ones. Children born between the twentieth of 
July and the first of September, which we call Cher-wer-scr-a, are 
weekly and do not live long, most of them dying young, but if 
they do live they are foolish and not of any use to their peopk;. 
Those that are born in the time the white man designates as 
()ctob(>r, May and June, are the ones that receive the prayers of 
the uKJthei-, grand parent and wise old heads of the tribe, and all 
look fcjrward to their being useful to the tribe, particularly those 
tiiat are of the high families. The Klamath Indians are a people 
that are at any, and all times, praying to the great father of all, 
and are pleased when a new baby is born. They take the best 



CHILD BIRTH 177 

of care of the mother in child-l)irth, but if a woman brings into 
the world a child that is dead or still-born, she is looked down 
upon and is almost cast aside, and has a hard time to pull through. 
If she dies in the struggle, there is but little sympathy for her 
loss, and if she lives, she is ever after called Cam-ma-gay, so 
that any and all may know her, and if she is a married woman 
and has had children and saved them, and afterwards brings one 
into the world dead, she is always afterwards called Quirk-ker- 
alth. 

In all my life among them I have never seen but few of 
these women, but do know some that have met with this mis- 
fortune. The Klamath Indians are the best in the world at 
handling their women in child-birth, in the old Indian way. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC-WAN. 



THIS happened at my birth place and about one mile up the 
Klamath River from my mother's birthplace, at Wah-tec 
village l)oth places being on the north side of the river At 
Pec-wan village, there comes down from the east and north, a 
creek that enters into the Klamath River, at or near Pec-wan 
villages and is called Pec-wan Creek. This creek has three forks, 
the north, middle and south forks, the south fork being the larg- 
est one. The mountain rises to a height of about four or five 
thousand feet at the head of the south fork, and nearly the whole 
of the country of Pec-wan, is covered with a dense growth of 
large timber and thick brush. In this vast forest of timber, there 
are sloping flats on the creek, and up the sides of the mountain 
there is oak timber, the acorn, from which we make our bread, 
and which we call pop-saw. In the Fall, which is the last part 
of October, and on through the month of Novemb(M', sometimes 
later, thei-(^ was a family moved back on the south fork, to a 
picking place. At these camps they most always have houses, 
sometimes they are made of cedar bark and sometimes of boards, 
but they are made tight and comfortable, so if there comes a rain 
they can keep dry and warm, i)articularly the women and chil- 
di'en. After the\- had been there for sometime and had gathered 
a ([uantity of acorns, there came some wild Indians (Oh-mah-hah) 
around on the outside of the houses, and as there was (juite a 
number of young men in the camps, the girls W(>re closely watch- 
ed l)y the men, and were not nnich afraid of the wild men. The 
men would go outside and lioUer at the Oh-mah-hahs to come 
into the house, so that they could see them, but they were afraid 
to come in, (mly watching a chance to steal one of the girls, and 



THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC- WAN 179 

take her away for a wife. After the Indians had gathered as 
many acorns as they thought they wanted, they concluded to go 
back to their homes, but two of the large, strong and athletic 
young Pec-wans, said they were going to remain in the camp, 
and hide in one of the houses. The rest all got ready and started 
home, leaving the two young men, who climbed up to the frame, 
where the platform is fixed, that they put the large basket plates, 
filled with the acorns on, that are hulled, so as to dry them, over 
where they make the fire to cook and warm by, the heat going 
up through the platform and plates, drying the acorns; so the 
young men secreted themselves up there for they could not be 
seen, and kept very still. In the evening the Wild Indians came, 
and not seeing or hearing anyone, supposed that all had left the 
camp, and after spying around awhile, an Oh-mah-hah ventured 
into the house and sat down by the fire-place, and opened a 
buck-skin sack, which we call ac-gure, and which has sticks inside 
to act as stays, to hold it in shape, it being twelve or fourteen 
inches long, and carry it under the arm, each one of these wild 
men had one of these sacks, which is a sort of a magic wand, 
and in this, they carry different kinds of herbs. Some of which 
are very good for a person's health, and some act like magic for 
poison, and with it they can kill any one they wish. Now this 
wild man after sitting down, opened his sack, and took out each 
kind of herbs or roots, saying as he lifted each one out, what it 
was good for, and after he had taken part of them out and laid 
them by the side of the ac-gure, he thought he heard a noise, so 
leaving his ac-gure and the roots, he ran outside, at this the 
young Pec-wans jumped down from their hiding place, and grabbed 
up the ac-gure and put the roots back into it, immediately after 
this the wild man returned and begged and pleaded with them, 
to give them back, but they refused to do so. He told them 
they could not use it unless they were taught the art, by which 
to use it. Then they w^anted him to teach them, but he said he 
never would, so they told him they would keep it. After he had 
begged and talked for awhile, they started home taking the ac-gure 
with them, and the wild man following and pleading in every way 
for them to return the sack to him. As they kept on towards 
home, the Oh-mah-hah told them if they would return it to him, 
he would cause any one that they might wish for, to die, and 
would give them half of all he had, but they refused, and kept 



180 THE WILD INDIAN OF PEC-WAN 

on until they reached home. The wild man went with them in- 
to the house, and they fed him, and every time they went out, 
he went with them. Sometimes they would go for wood for the 
sweat house, and he would follow them closely, always pleading 
for his ae-gure and acting so simple, that it seemed this ac-gure 
was his whole life. They were determined never to give it back 
to him, and so one morning they concluded to make a big fire 
in the sweat house, put him inside, fasten the door, and smoke 
him to death. They kept the ac-gure, and they say this family, 
Avas ever after, very lucky in getting deer and other game, as 
they had the Wild Indian's devil. 

This is the only time, where they caused a Oh-mah-hah to 
die, that I know of. These sweat-houses, are sure an ideal place, 
to smoke a person to death in. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



HOW THE RICH TRIED TO BE A TALTH. 



I will give the historj^ of one Indian that was very wealthy, who 
belonged to the He-na's. (Smith Rivers) This Indian while 
yet a very young man, had by inheritance, been left so much 
wealth that he felt there was no part or place, but what he had 
the right and power to go, and being closely related to some of 
the wealthy families of the lower Klamath, and among the rest 
to a family of one of the Talths, which lived at Wah-tec village, 
close to where the White Deer Skin Dance is held. When it 
came time for this dance, he took with him a great many of his 
most valuable articles to use in the dance. He went up to Reck- 
woy, the mouth of the Klamath, and on up to Wah-tec to visit 
with his relatives, and take part in the dance, by putting his 
valuables in. Everything went along merrily to his satisfaction 
until the dance was finished at Wah-tec village. The day all was 
in readiness to move down to the place where thej^ all make a 
stop, and only those that have a high birth are allowed to travel 
on the lower trail and go to the place that is held sacred ground, 
and here, when he was told not to go, he said, "why I am richer 
than any one here. I can go any place," then w^hen some of his 
lelatives told him to stay back, that he could go on the upper 
trail with the others that were rich, he protested strongly and still 
persisted in going, but was told plainly that his riches counted 
for nothing at this time and place. That with all his riches, he 
was of low birth, that his mother and father were married in the 
low marriage, and that he was of the He-na tribe, and that he 
could give his riches to one that was born right, to take there 
for him if he wished to do so, or he could take his riches with 



182 HOW THE RICH TRIED TO BE A TALTH 

him on the upper road, to be u.sctl on up the hill, and at the 
finishing place. At this he cowed down like a child and wept, 
leaving all of his wealth and started back into the mountains, 
back to the very highest mountains where the bear, panther and 
wolves were plentiful. All alone he went to where there is a large 
rock which we call Hah-i-o-claw, and he remained there for three 
days singing and praying, then with nothing to eat he wandered 
on through the wild timber and ))iushy country, back to Crescent 
City. (Caw-pay) and proclaimed himself a doctor, and always 
was known afterward as Caw-pay oi- Crescent City Doctor and 
lived to he old, and all of the old time white inhabitants of 
Ci-escent City well remember this Indian that went by the name 
of Crescent City or Caw-pay Doctor, He was an oddity and 
many are the jokes that the old time white men, and some of 
the white women played on him. I am related to him and knew 
him well, and the place where he claimed he went to the large 
rock, and I will say that it is a wild country, in which there are 
plenty of wild animals. I have been on this mountain often and 
seen the land marks that were left there by the white race on 
going north. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



THE SLAVES. 



AMONG the Klamath Indians there were many slaves, which 
we called Ki-elth, when the white man first came to our 
country. These slaves came about in many ways. Some 
were mixed blood of Klamath and Hoopa's, some were all 
Hoopa's, and some were mixed blood of the Klamath and Smith 
River's, and consisted of both men and women, but most of 
them were Klamaths themselves. Slavery was brought about by 
wars, famines, and contagious diseases. In case of a famine 
there would be a shortage of acorns, and no run of salmon in 
the river for two or three years, and sometimes longer, when 
the winters were long and cold, or dry, with but little rainfall. 
All the land and fishing places belonged to the wealthy families, 
who would gather it all for themselves, leaving little or none for 
the poor families, which would leave whole families hungry and 
starving. They would go to some rich man's house and offer 
themselves as slaves, and these offers were usually accepted. 
In other cases there would be sickness start in a well-to-do 
family, and often be a death or doctor bills to pay, and no 
chance to gather acorns or fish or hunt until they would be 
reduced to poverty and become hungry and offer themselves as 
slaves to some rich family or some big doctor, which was most 
of the time accepted. (This is something like what the white 
doctor is doing today among his own people.) Sometimes in 
war or fighting they would take them and let them be slaves 
in other ways. Now these wealthy families would have very 
large and commodious houses, and a house would be full to 
over-flowing in numbers and all would be mixed up in conver- 



1S4 THE SLAVES 

>'ation, and at tho time of eating the slaves were first waited on, 
while their own children sat back or helped to attend to their 
wants, and they were served with as good as their own family 
had, and were treated in a way that made them feel at perfect 
ease in every way. Often times when the houses would become 
too crowded they would build another house and let them move 
into it, as these wealthy families kept close touch with their 
relations or kindred so as not to marry those that were their 
own kindred. Semetimes there were families that had slaves 
that were not good to them, fed them poorly and refused to 
doctor them. These are not hard to select, as one will hear it 
mentioned at all times. I have seen and known many of them 
that were slaves and were born of slave ]:)arents, and some of 
these slaves were so well treated by their masters that they at 
this time claim kindred with the children of the masters and the 
families of the masters are so tender in speaking to them of it 
that they do not let them know, unless they liecome too 
familiar or make the claim too l)old, when a few, very few 
words will halt them in their claim for all time. These slave 
chiklien are the kind that are mostly the Indians that are left 
toda}', and tiying to make themselves and the white man believe 
that they know the true legends of the Klamath Indians, when 
in truth they do not know, and what they do know, such as 
not being allowed in certain places, and their birth and so on, 
they deny to the whites so as to hide their once low standing. 
These slaves were married off, and any and all were 
allowed to redeem themselves, to buy their freedom. Many in 
war times, for l)ravery and daring deeds gained their li})erty, 
and after gaining it would l)e succe>ssful, become rich and buy 
back their brothers and sisters, or a part of them that they 
liked best; and after a long time, by good marriage, they could 
get their family back to a good standing among the people, but 
they are kept close track of through the generations and can 
never get to where one of them can become a Talth and go 
through the secrets of the lodge or order. They must be of free 
born parentage for all time before they are admitted to be a 
Talth. By this the reader can understand that only the learned 
ones are competent to give the true legends of their people, just 
as it is witfi the whites or other people. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE WILD INDIAN OF MO-RECK. 



THIS happened man}' years ago at the village of Mo-reck, 
which is situated on the north l)ank of the Klamath River, 
just below where we put in the fish dam. Up to within a few 
years ago there lived in this village a family named Plats who 
had three boys, one of which became sick and died, and in bury- 
ing him they followed out the old and ancient custom. 

The house in which the family resided was very old, and 
the name of the house was Plats-ah-chene, the boys were called 
Plats-ots-ene, anrl the family was very rich. When the rich bury 
their dead they often put more less valuables in and on the 
grave, and they did in this case. The sand is put over the-grave 
and kept dry by a board, so they can at any time by looking at 
the grave, see if any one has been meddling with it, or robbing 
the grave of the valuables, which has been done many times. So 
the other two brothers of the dead boy noticed one day that things 
did not look just right, and on a close examination they discovered 
that it had been robbed, and after fixing the grave they kept 
watch for the person or persons that done it, as there was left 
a part of the valuables in and on the grave. So early one night 
as they were sitting close to the grave, they heard a noise and 
kept very still, soon they saw a man moving along like a shadow 
in the dark. This wild Indian seemed to feel the presence of the 
watchers and kept moving stealthily around, but was afraid to 
come up to the grave. So finally the wild Indian (Oh-mah-hah) 
left and went down to the river and swam across to the other 
side, landing just below the Cap-pell village. One of the brothers 
cautiously followed behind, telling the other brother to go up the 



186 THE WILD IX 1)1 AX OF MO-RECK 

river on the iioitli, and k(H'i) on tlic old ti'ail, and keep a ek)S(> 
watch and see if the wikl Indian tried to swim I)a('k soniewhere, 
al)ov(» Cap-peU, wliik- he took a boat, crossed the I'iver and kept 
close to the Indian, who went up the river and swam hack to 
the north side just below the village of Wah-say. So the brother 
on the n')rth side went to3 far up the river and missed the Indian, 
so when he arrived at the village of Ma-reep and took a boat 
and crossed over to the south side just below IMa-reep, and re- 
mained there on the south side by a large hollow fir tree, which 
is called Ta-po, and close to the trail, thus the two brothers were 
both on the south side. The Indian on the north side became 
afraid and worked his way up the river until he came nearly 
opposite Ca-neck, and then swam across to the south side again. 
As he was dodging from tree to tree, as was the way of these 
wild Indians, he came up to the large fir tree. The brother that 
was in the hollow of the tree made a quick grab and caught 
him with a firm hold, and as he was wrestling with him the other 
brother came to his assistance and together they held and tied 
him fast to the fir tree. This Indian was painted all black with 
some kind of a mixture of pitch and other ingredients. He 
begged to be let loose and offered to give them half he had, also 
if they had any enemies to tell him and he would cause them to 
become sick and die. This Indian had the ac-gure sack which 
he cari'ied under his arm but refused to give it to them, telling 
them that they would soon die as they did not know how to 
handle it, and he would sooner die himself than tell them how to 
handle it. So the two brothers left him tied to the tree after try- 
ing to i^ersuade him to give them the sack, and in the morning 
they went home, thinking that their folk might become alarmed 
at their long absence. Upon their arrival they told what they 
had done, and after eating they went back to the Imlian and 
began anothei' bai'gain with him. At this he agreed to give them 
all the wealth he had if they would l(>t him go, but he still re- 
fus(Hl to give up the ac-gure sack, as it contained ])oison, and a 
charm which they could never use unless he told them how, and 
this he would nex'ei' do. So they finally agreed to take his W(>alth 
and let him go, so lu; letl them to his home which was west and 
south to a i)lac(! on Redwood Creek, where ther(> was a cave in 
a clump of large rocks, .some twenty-five miles from their home. 



THE WILD INDIAN OF MO-RECK 187 

When they went into this cave-house they found that he had 
great wealth stored there, and they took it all home, leaving him 
there with his Ac-gure to gather up more wealth with, and he 
was never seen again, 

The Klamath Indians never kill these Wild Indians, but in 
many cases where they had caught them, they most always found 
that they were rich by robbing graves of wealthy people, and 
that they always had the ac-gure. The wealth that these two 
Mo-reck Indians received from this Wild Indian made the Mo- 
reck village so rich that it never afterwards had to ask help from 
any one to carry their part through any of the great festivals. 
These Wild Indians are evidently a former part of our own cast- 
off people and of late years have entirely disappeared and the 
Indians are wondering what has become of them. Some think 
they have gone back into the tribe in other places or went out 
and mixed with the present white people so as not to be known 
by them. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



HOW A COH-TEP GIRL HAD HER WISH GRANTED. 



ABOUT sixty years ago there lived a girl in the Gos-teiJ 
village by the name of Mee-cher-us-o-may, and her parents 
uiged her to marry a young man who lived farther up the 
river at the village of Mor-eck. (I have forgotten his name) 
The girl did not like the man, yet her parents kept urging her 
to marry him against her will. There was two of her girl friends 
that was going down the river to Reck-woy, so she got into the 
boat or Indian canoe with them and started down the river. As 
they glided along Mee-cher-us-o-may kept wishing that some wihl 
animal would take her, kill her and eat her. When they got to 
a ])lace called Hay-way-gaw they all camped out on the l)ank of 
the river, back some twenty yards or more from the waters edge. 
The canoe was pulled up on the sloping sand so as to make it 
sale for the night, then they made a fire, cooked their evening 
meal and then talked until it was time to go to bed. All this 
time Mee-cher-us-o-may was wishing some harm would come to 
her. The three girls made their bed for the night so that all three 
could sleep together and when they went to bed Mee-cher-us-o- 
way slei)t in the center, so all went to sleep. In the morning 
she was missing, she got hei- wish. She had been taken from be- 
tween the other two girls, and on examination they could see 
\('ry plainly wlier(> a wild animal had dragged her over the dry 
sand, down to the edge of the water, into the river and disapixnircMl 
with her, and she was never seen again. They thought an animal 
of the leopard specie took her as some of the animals have been 



HOW A COR-TEP GIRL HAD HER WISH GRANTED 189 

seen a number of times on the lower Klamath, and the Indians 
are very much afraid of them. This happened when I was a 
little girl. 



("HAPTER XXXI. 



OUR TOBACCO. 



THE wliito nu-e of people that the Klamath Iiuliaiis fouiul 
in this land had a weed they called tobacco, which we call 
Hah-kooni, and taught them to use it by smoking it in the 
pipe and to cultivate it by selecting a proper place, pile brush 
over the ground and then burn it, which would leave the ground 
with a loose layer of wood ashes. Over this, while the ashes 
were yet dry and loose, they would sow the seed and protect the 
crop t)y putting around it a ))rush fence. From year to year 
they would select from the best stalks seed for the next year 
and at times to hold the seed for a number of years if necessary, 
for if kept i)ropeily it will grow after being kept for a long time. 
The only thing that will bother or destroy the crop of tobacco is 
the deer and they often jump over the lirush fence and eat every 
part of the crop, even to the roots. 

When an Indian takes his pipe to smoke he inhales the 
smoke and keeps it in his luugs for ten or fifteen seconds and then 
blows it out througli his nose mostly, some througli the mouth 
and then he gives a slow grunt, saying a few words in a plain 
audible tone. These words are to the Wa-gas the whit(> people 
we loved so well, wishing that the Wa-gas, would give them good 
luck, long life, that they could see them come ))ack or that they 
themselves could go to see them and be with them, and many 
other kinds of wishes for the Wa-gas. The old women doctors 
use tobacco very freely and have pijx's that hold a handful of 
tobacco at a single smoking, anil they ask the Wa-gas to give 



OUR TOBACCO 191 

them good luck in curing a sick person. The doctors are about 
the only ones of the women that smoke. The Indians have the 
most complete control over themselves and can smoke one, two 
or three times a day, or quit for a week or longer without a 
murmur. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



OUR MERMAIDS. 



THE Klamath Indians tell of the Mermaid that tliey said 
could be seen at night come and sit on a rock out in the 
middle of the river, at a place called Ca-neck. This rock 
is in a rocky and rough place in the river, some thirty miles u):> 
the river from its mouth, and some nine miles above where the 
White Deer Skin Dance is held. This rock is in the middle of 
the river and the water in the Summer time, at the low stage. 
just covers the top of it. On each side are whirls and etldies 
which the Indians liave used for fishing with chp nets for many 
generations. There was never more than two of these Mermaids 
seen at a time, but they have been .seen many times in the 
generations gone. They had veiy long hair, and were half fish 
and half women, but it is not known whether they were male or 
female. They looked like women and would sit there combing 
their long hair for hours at a time, and as they went away one 
could see their long hair floating in the watei'. The Indians say 
that for the past twenty years or more, they have not seen them 
and think they have been washed away, or that the river has 
been filled by the gravel and debris from the mines, which ha\c 
destroyed them. They also say that tliey never had any fear of 
the Mermaids, but looked upon them as a freak of nature. Tlu\y 
could see them plainly in the Summer months while fishing, when 
the moon was full and sometimes they would be only a few yards 
away from them. These Mermaids we call S(iuerth-tucks. 



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CHAPTER XXXIII. 



FAIRY TALES 



THE WOMAN OF SIN. 



HUNDREDS of years ago a young man and his wife resided 
at what Is called Tu-rep village, which is located on the 
south side of the Klamath River about six miles from its 
mouth. The Tu-rep bar on the river is very large, consisting of 
fifty or a hundred acres of rich and productive soil. This man's 
wife before her marriage belonged at the Si-elth village, across 
the river from Tu-rep on the north side. They lived very happy 
together for a number of years, he being very kind to her in 
every way and never spoke in a cross manner at any time. As 
the years went by he began to drift away from her and their 
home, neglecting her more and more. It seemed that a soul 
affinity had come into his life, a woman at the Reck-woy village, 
at the mouth of the river, was enticing him away from his wife 
and home. He found a resistless charm in her serpent-like arms, 
and as the days went by he would tarry longer in her company 
and he would be loath to part with her at all. At last his wife 
was being left alone so much and neglected that she became 
suspicious that another woman had robbed her of his love. She 
found her suspicion to be true as her husband was now giving all 
of his attention to the woman at Reck-woy. The wife became 
very sad and broken hearted over her husband's actions and un- 
faithfulness, and went about her work in a dispirited manner 
and her attitude and appearance became one of profound sadness. 



194 FAIRY TALES 

In company she always seenKMl down hearted, as the same sad 
look was always ii})on her face, making her appear to the visitors 
as wretched and lonely. 

As the miserable wife sp(Mit the lonely days at Tu-rep 
village, the people decided to give a large entertainment a host 
of guests gathered to make merry. Among the crowd was a man 
from the I'r-ner village, which is nine or ten miles up the river at 
the mouth of l^lue Creek. During the entei'tainment the Ur-ner 
man was attracted to the lonely Tu-rep wife who appeared to 
him to be very sad and lonely in the midst of such gaiety. He 
came over to where she was seated and began a conversation by 
exchanging a few^ remarks. He thought he might be wrong in 
addressing here so boldly, and started to walk away but some- 
thing stirred his inner emotions strangely, so much so that he 
could not resist the temptation to return to her. This time after 
a few remarks he summoned up courage to inquire into her 
troubled life, as he said she seemed very lonely. Deeply impressed 
l)y his winning maimer and kind words her confidence was easily 
won and she readily related to him her unhappy marriage and 
how unfaithful her husband had grown. He at once became 
more interested and listened patiently to her story of sorrow, and 
with his sympathetic words of comfort, strange emotions that had 
long been dead within her breast thrilled into life once more. 
She had become a victim of his beguiling words of comfort as 
he drew' her into his arms of passionate love. Alone and together 
they i)lanned a secret meeting place that her husband and 
the village folks might not know of their clandestine meetings. 

When the Tu-rep husband would go down the river to 
Kcck-woy to bask in the love of the woman of his affections, his 
wife would wait until the darkness of night had cast its gloom 
over the village, when she would creep carefully forth from her 
dwelling and meet her lover. She had a long way to go up the 
Tu-icp bar from her house, and each step she would take, she 
would cover her foot -prints with stones. In this manner she 
would cover her tracks over, for a distance of at least one mile 
along the river bar and when she reached the upper end of the 
bar she would step out into the water, and as before she covered 
over her tracks with stones until she stej^ped into her lover's boat. 



FAIRY TALES 195 

The Ur-ner Indian would come across the river from the opposite 
bank and take her into his canoe and paddle back to what is 
known as Stah-win bar. This is also a large bar covered with 
huge redwoods. Together they would wander into the inky black- 
ness of the huge redwoods where they would enjoy each other's 
company until a late hour at night, when the Ur-ner man would 
again take his soul affinity into his canoe and return her to the 
upper end of Tu-rep bar, where she would leave him and proceed 
down the bar to her home, as before covering over her foot-prints 
with stones. She held these clandestine meetings with the Ur-ner 
Indian in that manner every time her husband would leave her 
and go to Reck-woy. After a while her husband became suspicious 
of her action, as when he returned home at night he never found 
her at home, yet he was very kind to her. He made every 
attempt to trace her foot-steps but they were always lost upon 
the bar and all his efforts were futile. At last in desperation he 
made up his mind to tr\' other plans to detect her mysterious 
whereabouts. He would start down the river on a pretence 
of going to Reck-woy, but would hide where he could see his 
wife's movements around the house. This was kept up for some- 
time but he could not find out which way she had gone, but in 
his earnest endeavors to discover her whereabouts, one night he 
saw her covering over her foot-prints with stones as she went to 
meet her lover. Her shame and sin was at last discovered in 
spite of all her efforts and precaution to hide her disgrace from 
human knowledge. This covering of foot prints with stones is 
called in our language, "Way-nah-mah way-lap-po-lah hah-elth- 
werm-chelth," which means covering th^ tracks of sin and shame 
with stones. To this day there can be seen at Tu-rep bar in the 
Summer months when the waters of the river is low, the rows of 
stones that this sinful woman used to cover up her foot-prints of 
shame, and they stand out in strange relief along the waters edge 
where they were supposed to have been placed centuries ago by 
the woman of sin. The Indians point to these stones as a warn- 
ing to all married women that no matter how secretly they sin 
against the marriage vows, they will be discovered sooner or later, 
and their sins will be reflected upon them throughout their lives. 
The moral of this story is to keep women from sinning and when 
they are tempted into sin that they are forever burdened with 
the heavy stones of disgrace that points to their sins and time 
cannot efface it. 



19() FAIRY TALES 



WHAT HAPPENED TO TWO MA-REEP GIRLS 

A luunhiM- of fiif'iiorations back there lived in Ma-reej) 
vi^lage a man and his wife with their three girls. The oldest of 
them was a good dutiful child, helped her mother in every way 
she could, while the other two were naughty, idle, cross and 
])outy. When it came time for their meals the oldest would eat 
and act like a perfect lady but the other two girls always kept 
up their naughty ways. They would go away in a corner and 
pout for more of this or that thing, and their mother kept tell- 
them that if they did not stop being naughty, and act in a 
better manner and eat their meals properly, that a l)ig owl 
would come and carry them off. They kept on until one night 
sure enough, a large owl came and took them and carried them 
about a mile down the river and placed them on a large, high 
rock, where they could not get down. They sat there and 
turned to stone, and are sitting there to this day and look like 
too little girls sitting up there. This rock we call Hoaks-or- 
reck and Klamath Indian mothers have been pointing to these 
two little stone girls, telling them this fairy tale to keep them 
from being naughty and to have them conduct themselves in a 
good, mannerly way. This rock is close to the river on the 
north bank at the lower end of Ma-reep Rapids. 

THE ADVENTURES OF A COYOTE. 

Long ages ago a Coyote with his family resided at He- 
melth, which is a ])lace on the Klamath River that is famous in 
Indian lore. One lovely day in early Spring Mr. and Mrs. Coyote 
witli all their chidreii journeyed over the hills of the Klamath from 
He-melt h to a place on the mountain side known as On-a-gap. 
This was a place where they went annually to gather gre(>n 
grasses upon which they would feast during the Spring months. 
The family was camping out and having a good time. They kept 
on moving toward the mountain top when there suddenly came 
quite an unexpected snow storm, the weather turned freezing cold 
and Mr. and Mrs. Coyote did everything possible to save the 
lives of their children, but of no avail. One by one they perished 
in the cold snow as it kept snowing and falling very fast. The 



FAIRY TALES 197 

fond parents were left desolate and grief-stricken in the gloom of 
the storm, as they never could call back their loved ones. (The 
Coyote we call Say-yap.) As they laid the little bodies in their 
graves of snow, Mr. Coyote grew desperate over his great loss, 
and determined to seek revenge against the Sun. The Sun he 
argued, heartlessly murdered his children, because it had refused 
to shine and give them warmth, so he started out at once upon 
one of the longest journeys ever made by any living animal. He 
chased the Sun over mountains, hills, through canyons, across 
vast plains and valleys, and past rivers and lakes, until he at last 
came to the ocean. Here he lost it, for it sank into the waves 
with a mocking laugh and left him standing alone upon the shores 
of darkness. Darkness closed around him with its mighty arms 
and he stood there on the shores of the restless ocean for several 
minutes in utter despair. Weary in body and limbs, and sad at 
heart for his great loss, the truth flashed upon him that he could 
never in this world get his revenge, as the being of his wrath 
was swift in its flight through space. Thus on the shore he 
stood, when he suddenly turned his back on the west with a kick 
of contempt in that direction, where the Sun (his great enemy) 
had sank. In silence he gazed towards the east and then away 
towards the northern horizon, and there in the far north he saw 
a more pleasing scene where he buried his great burden of sorrow. 
While he still stood there gazing he saw the seven stars winking 
down through the heavens at him, and they kept winking for 
him to join them. Suddenly he felt himself rising from the earth 
as if he had been transformed into an Angel with wings, and he 
rose far away to the Kingdom of Heaven. Up he soared, ever up, 
until he was at last flying among the seven stars and when he 
reached them, he began to dance and sing, as they were all girls 
and also sisters. They ask him not to keep on singing as they 
said he did not know how to sing properly and said they would 
teach him how to sing, so he could join them in some of their 
songs. So he became flattered to think that the sisters were tak- 
ing so much interest in him and he became very vain at once, 
as some narrow minded people do, when they become associated 
with a superior circle. He was rather enthusiastic now, to think 
what a good escape he had made from the cruel earth to a 
beautiful abode in Heaven. He flattered himself so much in his 



198 FAIRY TALES 

wild (Mitliusiiism I hat lie thuiijiht hiinsclf wry wise, anil he would 
display some of his talent ht^fore the sist(>rs. As they offered to 
teach him he replied to them, '"I can sing beautifully; I used to 
sing for my wife and childien down on the eaith, they always 
said my voice was good and I believe I know a gcjcnl deal al)out 
singing, and do not need any training. So !iever mind girls 
about teaching me for my voice is just splendid and I can sing 
perfectly." The sisters looked at each other antl f(>lt very disap- 
])ointed to think that the Coyote i)ersistetl in knowing all about 
the fine arts, when he practically did not know the first step. 
After some persuasion they decided they would never 1 e able to 
teach him any of the fine arts of singing, for the stars of Heaven 
were much diffei'ent from those on earth. They reasoned too. 
that perhaps he was out of his natural mind, after traveling so 
many millions of miles through space. The sisters replied as 
good nattu-edly as they could: "very well kind sir, we are deeply 
grieved to find that by our billion of 3'ears of experience and 
knowledge we are not al)le to teach you anything, and you may 
j)roceed as you like." The Coyote began to dance and sing again 
among his friends until he grew very tired and when he could 
no longer sing and dance he began to talk to them in a bi-oken 
tone. His head grew dizzy as his mind wandered from the songs 
and drifted into thought about himself. He kept repeating the 
words as he danced until he lost his pipe, tobacco pouch, belt 
and deer skin trousers, which caused the sisters to smile and wink 
among themselves. They tried to persuade him not to talk so 
much but he kept right on and would not heed them. They 
became very weary and bored over this stupid nonsence and the 
elder sister said they would join him in his revelry. One on each 
side of him took his hand in their's, formed one large circle and 
began to dance and sing aroimd him. They dragged him faster 
and faster until they whirled him as fast as they could go. His 
poor head was in a dizzy whirl and he began to fear for his safety. 
not knowing when they would let him rest, as it seemed they had 
been whirling him for centuries. They might go on whirling him 
for a thousand years, and he felt so famished and weak that he 
(•(juld not endure this treatment much longer. "Ouch!" he ex- 
claimed in a terrible voice, "I say girls I cannot glide your fast 
whirls any longer, 1 am afraid I will fall down in a heap ami 
die, or else my bones fly to pieces." So you shall fall in a heap 



FAIRY TALES 199 

Mr. Coyote," exclaimed the girls in a loud chorus, "down with you 
to the earth from whence you came, as you are not a bright 
pupil here in heaven. Up here you must be very brilliant and 
you have always been stupid enough to think that you knew it 
all. We are weary of your revelry, so farewell, we wish you 
many happy days down on the earth and again we say farewell," 
and they pushed him down from his place in Heaven. He fell so 
rapidly through space that he found it impossible to keep him- 
self together and the bones of his body fell to pieces and went 
flying and whizzing in each direction, but some how they managed 
to fall in a heap at Ca-neck, which is a very ancient village and 
the most famous among my people for stories, as so many wonderful 
tales begin there. The Coyotes bones laid bleaching in the sun 
for a short time near this village when a heavy rain storm caused 
the river to overflow its banks. The rising waters of the river 
took the Coyote's bones and carried them dow^n to the mouth of 
the river at Reck-woy where they were washed upon the sand 
beach. After being planted there in the sand for several days, 
a slender shoot sprang up and unfurled its green foliage above 
the sand. In time this slender shoot grew into a tall alder tree 
and the Coyote and his bones were now transformed into a tree. 
One day an old woman with her wood basket on her back and 
a stone hatchet in her hand came along the beach looking for 
some wood. She took a great fancy to this alder tree as she 
thought it would make good wood for the fire, it was just the 
kind of a tree she had been looking for, for some time, and was 
pleased upon finding it. So she began to chop it and to her great 
surprise the tree sprang from the earth and vanished in a flash 
and then took up the shape of a Coyote which stood before her. 
"Ouch!" he yelled in a loud voice, "go away, old woman, how 
dare you cut me to pieces like that?" The old woman became 
more frightened than ever, as she dropped her hatchet and ran 
for her life back to the village. She could not find any reason 
for such a strange encounter and came to the conclusion that it 
was some of the Indian devils trying to frighten her. The 
Coyote, to his great relief, was once more in his own natural body 
and he set out to travel upon the earth again. He ventured to 
the rabbits as he had a desire to visit them. Upon reaching the 
rabbit's home he found Mrs. Rabbit away and only her small 
children there, upon entering the house he asked the children to 



200 FAIKY TALES 

jiivc him soiuctliiiitz; to cat as he was \cry hunjiiy, not having 
had anything to cat for a long time. The chiUhon were too young 
to understand what lie was saying and all oi" them heeame 
frightened and lan out of the house. When they were all safely 
outside they set fire to the house in hopes of burning the Coyote 
to death, and he was busy inside, going through the shelves look- 
ing for something to eat. Ikit as fortune faNoied him this time 
he heard the flames crackling in time to make his escape from a 
dreadful death. After his narrow escape he decided to go and 
stay with his grandmother at Weitchpec and he journeyed slowly 
up the liver until he reached her home. As soon as he arrived 
there he had a long story to tell her, he said he was almost dead 
from hunger, as he had been on a long journey without any food 
and asked her to cook the best she could atTord as he needed it to 
build up his strength again, and he also informed her that many 
of his cousins were coming to visit her. He explained to her 
that he had left them a few miles down the river to camp for 
the night and they had sent him ahead to tell her they were 
coming and for his grandmother to prepare a feast and be ready 
for them. She told him there was nothing to eat except Tur-perks, 
which are blighted acorns that fall to the ground and are worm 
eaten, that she was sorry for her guests but it was the best she 
could do. She at once set about cooking great basket-fulls of 
the tur-perks, as she never doubted but what her grandson was 
telling the truth. When these were cooked she placed the baskets 
on the table before the Coyote, never doubting but what he 
would leave plenty for his cousins to eat. She never dreamed 
that one small being could eat so much at one time, and was 
greatly disappointed and humiliated when she found that he had 
eaten all the acorns, even licking the baskets clean and dry. As 
he finished this large meal he heaved a sigh of relief, as it was 
the first meal he had eaten for over a hundred years, just how 
long ago he first left the earth to go to Heaven he could not 
remember. His cousins were not coming, he just wished to de- 
ceive his grandmother, that she might cook a great quantity so 
he could feast by himself. H(^ deceived her for the first time 
very cleverly as she did not doubt the story of his cousins coming. 
After this meal the Coyote; called to her and said,"! am going to 
fish tonight and if my luck is good our baskets will l)e filled by 
tlay-break, now my ilear you may cook tonight another large 



PAIRY TALES 201 

quantity of tur-pecks and tomorrow I will help you prepare the 
fish for cooking as I think my cousins will arrive at sunset. His 
grandmother still believed his story to be true but she was very 
tired and after he had gone to fish she decided to go to bed, 
thinking she would have plenty of time on the morrow to cook 
the tur-perks for the cousins, as they were not coming until even- 
ing of the next day. When the Coyote reached the bank of the 
river he did not even pretend to fish but jumped from boulder 
to boulder and bruised his head and face as much as he could. 
Some time in the night he returned and repeated to her a pitiful 
tale of how some one had attacked him and given him a severe 
beating- of how some of the other people would not allow him to 
fish, etc. She listened patiently to his tale of woe and realized 
for the first time that he was telling her falsehoods. After he 
had finished his story she became very angry and gave him a 
severe scolding for being so deceitful. The Coyote did not stay 
with her very long as he wearied and annoyed her so much she 
planned to get rid of him. One day she hired a young man to 
take him across the river to the village of Peck-toolth where she 
instructed him to camp for the night. That night after dark the 
young man asked the Coyote to sleep at his feet, which the 
Coyote gladly did as he was somewhat tired from tramping 
through the woods that day and he was soon fast asleep. Then 
the young man quietly left the bed and rolled a log in the place 
he had been lying in. He did this to deceive the Coyote when 
he awoke, as he would most likely see the log and think he was 
still sleeping there, then he hurried away and left him asleep and 
alone at Peck-toolth. The Coyote woke up during the night and 
looked about him and soon discovered the log and that the young 
man had left him alone. He jumped to his feet hastily and ran 
down to the banks of the river, and when he arrived there he 
saw the young man standing on a high rock on the opposite side 
of the river, he yelled until he was hoarse for him to come over 
in his canoe and take him across to his grandmothers. The 
young man refused to help him which made him very angry and 
he called him all the names he could think of and begged him in 
a pleading manner, but of no avail. At length the Coyote be- 
came so enraged that he yelled at the top of his voice that he 
would murder him if he ever reached him and he seized a sharp 
stone and ran up and down the river for a long time, swearing 



202 FAIRV TALKS 

as fast as lu; could utter his wonls. The m:iii stood still on the 
rock with a mocking smile on his face and watched the frantic- 
efforts of the Coyote, when he thought he was getting pretty 
tired the young man calked out to him to smm across the river, 
he dared him and said it was easy to swim across. The Coyote 
at once took up the dare and i)lunged into tlie river and l)egan 
to swim with all his might as he was compelled to swim against 
the current. He was almost successful in getting across when the- 
young man shouted to him to look htick across the river as there- 
was something coming down the f)ank. The Coyote was foolish 
enough to look l)ack over his shoulder, and as he did so the 
strong current swept him hack on the same side he started from. 
He immediately made another desperate attempt to swim the 
river. He swam and swam, fighting against the strong current 
until he became exhausted and it was impossible for him to swim 
any longer. Realizing he would soon drown he called again and 
again to the young man to rescue him a boat, but the other 
stood immovable on the rock and calmly replied, "I cannot help 
you for your last day on eartli has ended." The Coyote, crying 
the mournful w^iil of deaths sank into the waters of the river to 
rise no more" 



A BEAR STORY. 



Many ycai's ago the Indians were warring among them- 
selves at the village of Hoji-paw, near the mouth of the livcr. 
A i)ortion of them whipped the others and those who were 
defeated in the l)attle moved away from there and went back in 
the mountains to llxc, while the \-ictorious warriors also left the 
village for a few day's stay at a place known as Si-alth. 

While the Indians were all away, a beai' strayed into the 
village and went into one of the Indian houses wli(>rc he 
discovered a \'ei'y large basket tilled with beautiful Indian 
dresses and strii\gs of Indian money and other Indian ornaments. 
He was ver\- happ}' when he discovered this basket and began 
to take the things out and look them over carefully. As he 



PAIRY TALES 203 

"came to the dresses he would try each one on and then dance, 
but he could not seem to find one that suited his idea of 
fashion. He kept on throwing the dresses aside as he pulled 
them off. He wanted one that rattled as he danced. At last 
he found the one he, wanted, for when he put it on and danced 
the shells began to rattle, as there were a great many on the 
"dress. As he danced, to his great delight, the shells rang like 
music in his ears, and well satisfied with the dress he pulled it 
■off and put it back in the basket with all the other articles. 
After he had finished storing them, away in the basket he began 
to tear up the earthen floor, and scatter things all over the 
house. After doing all the damage he could he shouldered the" 
large basket and started for the woods, and traveled some 
distance to a large hollow redwood tree. He decided to stop 
here and put on the dress with many shells and put it on, and 
began to dance and sing, having a glorious time all by himself, 
as he had no comrades to join him in the fun. This is the song 
he sang while he danced: Ho-wen-ah-a, ho-wen-ah-a, nah-hay, 
nah-hay. After he had danced for some time, he became so 
tired that he could no longer sing. The dress began to weigh so 
heavily upon him that he became exhaustad but he managed to 
keep on dancing, he loved to hear the music of the shells as he 
danced about. 

After visiting for several days at Si-alth the Indians 
returned to their homes at Hop-pow. When they reached the 
village they discovered that everything had been turned topsy- 
turvey in one of the houses, and that the large basket of Indian 
dresses were missing. They at once suggested that some of their 
enemies had returned while they were away and stolen the 
things, and they all followed in hot pursuit to recover the 
stolen articles. But they could find no trace of them, and in 
despair gave up the chase. Some of them made a closer in- 
spection of the house and this time they were sure they saw 
bear tracks in the soft ground. The Indians now followed the 
bear tracks closely, which led them to the large redwood tree, 
and as they approched it they could eee that it was hollow and 
had a large roomy place inside, and glancing in they saw the 
bear dancing, dressed in one of the dresses. One of the smaller 
boys became tired watching the bear and asked if he might go 
up near the tree and the older Indians decided to let him go 



204 FAIRY TALES 

and asked him to try to 2;el tlie dresses away from the Ijear. 
The boy agreed, and went ui) until he wtis atVaid to ii;() nearer. 
Thc bear's attention was now attracted to the l)()y, and lie saw 
at once that the Indians had discovered his liiding place, and 
stoi:)ped dancing and left the tree, carrying with him the Indian 
dresses, determined to take them to his own home, which was 
in a tree top near by. This tree was hollow up its trunk and 
in the top of this hollow the bear made his hom(\ He tugged 
\\ith all his might at the huge basket but it was so large lie 
could not pull it through the hollow to his nest, and when he 
saw that he c<uild not pull it thi'ough it made liim mad and he 
tried to dig the tr(>e up by the roots. He dug so rapidly that 
he soon found he had dug a cave under the tree, and being fa- 
tigued from liis sti'cnuous efforts he siezed the basket and pull- 
ed it after him into the cave. Once in there he thought him- 
self secure from the Indians. As the be:ir disappeared into the 
cave with the bask(^t, all the Indians ventured up ne ir the tree 
they began talking ;'.s to what they would do, being very an.dous 
to recover the things as it meant a great loss of liches if they 
could not recover them again. They fiuvdly agreed they would 
kindle a fire at the mouth of the cave and .smoke the bear out 
of his den, so they gathered up a large pile of wood and dry 
branches and made a fire. The Indians lined uj) ready for him 
when he came out. The owner of the articles was an old man 
and he took his jilace near the cave, with his bow drawn, ready 
to shoot th(> bear, but his arrow did not wound the bear fatally 
and the bear seized him and crushed him to death. The (MU'ag- 
ed bear then turrunl upon the other Indians, but at last he sank 
to the ground riddled with arrows. They recovered the basket 
of dres.scs and returned home in a moui'nful pi'ocession, for one 
of their members had departcnl to the spirit land. The bear 
in his wild I'evelry had also lost his life. 

Till': w'ooixc; of robin rej^brkast. 

bong centui-ies ago before the world was inhal)ited l^y very 
maii\' ix'ople, Robin Red-breast lived as a handsome young man 
by himself in a magnificent mansion on the Klamath River. This 
ske])tical young man always laughed mockingly at the suggestion 
<jf matrimony, as he was very rich and kept many servants about. 



FAIRY TALES 205 

In fact he kept a servant for each room of his splendid mansion. 

He would often go by himself on moonlight strolls by the 
river or walk in the sunrise in early morning through the woods. 
The young maidens would catch a glimpes of him as he passed 
their windows, or as they peeked from out the bushes at him, 
admiring all the charms of his physical manhood. But proud 
young Red-breast would walk haughtily by them whenever he 
chanced to meet them and positively refused to accept any of 
their attentions that they were so eager to bestow upon him. 
Every maiden that chanced to catch a glimpse of him imagined 
herself in love with him, and her lonely heart would invariably 
yearn for his love that he might make her happy. 

The laws of olden times were very different from the laws 
of today. It was the rule then that when a young maid fell in 
love with a youth, it was her place to go and call on him first 
at his home, also to propose matrimony, unless the young man 
preferred to do so himself, then it was proper that he should. 
This was true in the case of Red-breast, as in the days of yore, 
when a young man returned a woman's affections he would accept 
her love and make her his wife. And if he did not return her 
affections he would refuse to consider her proposal of marriage. 

Many young ladies ealled each day at Red-breast's home, 
seeking the loving devotion that he might bestow upon them. 
He always kept a door usher to announce the arrival of any 
young lady that would call to se6k his acquaintance, and desire 
to unite her fortune with his. The later was usually her purpose 
in view wishing a private interview. Red-breast gave strict orders 
to the usher not to admit any young lady that might call inside 
the door of his mansion, and besides he could never show her 
into his presence without consulting him first. When the usher 
would announce to Red-breast that a young lady was at the 
door to wishing to interview him, Red-breast would always ask 
the kind and color of her dress, if the usher replied that she 
wore a suit of teach-ah-me-tah, he was told to send her away as 
he did not wish to see her. 

One by one the girls came to the mansion in hopes of se- 
curing an interview, but to their great disappointment they were 
all turned away from the door. One can imagine how many 
poor broken hearts followed each other as they had been dismissed 
from the door of love to go forth into the lonely world to weep. 



206 FAIRY TALES 

Some of these si''^^ were foolish enougli to shut themselves in 
(lai'k cells, that they might never he seen by tlie man who ruin(>(l 
tiieir hopes of a happy wedded life. Other compassionate souls 
threw themselves into the sea, that their early sorrows and 
disappointments might l)e ended forever. Poor deluded girls, if 
they had only known how little Red-breast cared for their miseries 
and how he mocked them in his mansion they would never even 
have considered him as worthy of notice. However, many of the 
girls were not so foolish as to destroy all their future happiness 
but forgot the mocking Red-breast and sought other lovers whom 
they married and were very happy. 

It had now come to pass that all the girls in the world 
had called at the mansion of Red-breast for the purpose of wooing 
him for ;i husband, except one. All these girls had agreed among 
themselves that each take their turn in calling upon Red-breast 
until he selected one of them for his wife. Now all the girls in 
the world had called with exception of one, and all the other girls 
were restless and wondering what her fate would be. She was a 
sweet young thing with cheeks as red as cherries, eyes that sparkled 
like dew-drops and hair that hung in ringlets. It was an ideal 
Autumn morning when this maid called at Red-breast's mansion, 
the madrone berries were ripe and hung in crimson clusters from 
the branches of the tree, filling the atmosphere \^^th a dewy scent 
of sweetness. Heaven and earth seemed blending together and 
then fading away into the melancholy shadows of Autumn. Such 
was the appearance of the surrounding world when this shy sweet 
maiden came tripping lightly up the long wooded avenues to the 
door of Red-breast's mansion with her heart all a flutter. The 
usher greeted her with a pleasant "good morning," as her ap- 
pearance was very stunning, and he bade her wait at the door 
until he returned with his message from his master. Upon announcing 
hci- arrival the haughty Red-breast said, "ah! I don't care the 
snap of my fingers for the prettiest and sweetest maiden that ever 
walked the earth, it is not for her love and companionship that I 
care, but for what she might wear, her beautiful gown if it is 
made of the right material is all I want. I say again that they 
are all foolish young things to seek mj^ love, for I have none to 
waste upon them, it is all concentrated upon myself and no one 
else." Then he asked the usher the same question, as to what 
kind of a dress she wore. For the first time the usher leplied 



FAIRY TALES 207 

that she did not wear a dress of the teach-ah-me tah like all the 
other girls had worn, but she wore a gown of pretty red, bedewed 
with clustering ornaments of its same gorgeous hues. My! ex- 
claimed Red-breast, you can show her in at once, and he 
jumped to his feet in delight, his eyes sparkling with false pride. 
Go tell her quick that she is the only girl that ever had the 
honor to be admitted into my presence. Now I will woo her 
with all my heart and flatter her very soul away for the purpose, 
but not for my wife you know. You know what I am, so mind 
you don't put her wise. Poor little girl, poor little foolish girl, 
it is a shame to treat her so cruel but I cannot help it when 
she wears such a tempting gown of red, red at last, my favorite 
color, and that color I am going to have. 

A minute later a sweet shy maid of scarce three seasons 
old was ushered into his halls and the magnificent apartments in 
which she stood before Red-breast. Her heart had ceased to beat 
for a few moments as he rose and greeted her in an elegant 
manner. He was far handsomer than she ever dreamed a man 
could be, and for the first time in her life she fancied that she 
was deeply in love. Breathlessly she recollected the stories of 
the other girls that had been before her, and now she could hardly 
blame them for their mad actions of self-destruction over such a 
striking personality. Red-breast received the maiden with a 
hearty welcome of flattery as he dismissed the usher from the 
apartment, that they might be alone to plan out the future. 
Gallantly he knelt at the fair maiden's feet and poured out to 
her full measures of his love, in his elegant and commanding 
language he pictured in her mind how he had turned away so 
many other girls from his door who had come to seek him as 
their lover. How he had done because he could never love and 
knew that some day he would find his only true love which he 
believed to be her, as he had never felt the emotion of love until 
he first gazed into her bright eyes. His sweet voice sounded in 
her ears so soft and the touch of his fingers was as magical as 
Heaven it's self. Her cheeks blushed redder than ever as she 
listened to his tender words of devotion. She shyly whispered, "yes" 
as he rose and pressed her against his breast, and they planned 
together for the marriage vows. They both agreed they would 
exchange the wedding vows on the following morning, then he 
held her by the hand and showed her into a nice room where 



208 FAIRY TALES 

lie said she could spend the night in peaceful dreams, and then 
he took his leave, leaving her alone in her room, and he told her 
that this loom would always he her own private room, where 
she could retreat and find solace in being alone. Once alone she 
sat still for a long time, di'eaming of the blissful future she would 
enjoy with a husband that so many had tried to woo but could 
never win l)ecause he loved her only. 

Night came with its shadows and she found herself very 
tired as her poor brain had been kept in a constant whirl since 
meeting Red-breast. Wearily she took off her beautiful gown 
and laid it carefully on a chair beside her bed and then hid her 
face under the silken covers. Soon in slumberland she did not 
waken vmtil morning and the sun was already high in the sky. 
The gown she wore was the l)eautiful spangles of the madrone 
berries that blushed in their tint of the deepest vermillion red. 
While the maiden was sleeping Red-breast stole softly into the 
room and devoured the beautiful gown and all that night he 
feasted upon the berries and ornaments of the gown . As he gulped 
down the last berry he crept softly to the side of the sleeping 
beaut}^ and gazed a farewell look upon her innocent face. He 
then changed his mansion into a dreary isle of Autumn dampness 
and flew away as a bird. Henceforth Red-breast never again 
appeared on earth as a man, but has ever since been on earth 
as a })ird. 

Sad was the maiden that woke up that morning to find 
onlj^ a tei'rible disappointment awaiting her. She fouiid in her 
heart no solace, l)ut grief, bitter grief that had no compassion 
upon her bitter soul. Looking about her in her lonliness she saw 
that Red-breast had deceived her, and that he had selfishly eaten 
her pretty gown, all that she could find of it was the ugly strips 
that had held the ornaments in their place, and lo, this maiden 
so young and fair, and once so beautiful, fled down the damp 
aisles weeping for the chill of winter was upon her and had left 
her desolate, without her clothing. 

The moral of this story is that young women sliould have 
a care in pursuing handsome young men, lest they be deceived 
and left in desolation. 



FAIRY TALES 209 

DR. BEAR AND MRS. SKUNK. 

Once upon a time a father and mother skunk (wah-chelth) 
were rearing a family of two children and there was no food for 
them to eat. The old folks were in great distress about what to 
do as they were all starving. The mother was very anxious for 
her family, and one day she happened to think of a good plan 
to secure something to eat. So she announced to her family 
that she would play sick and have the bear (chee-ur-ra) come 
and doctor her. Her husband and children were delighted with 
her plan and Mrs. Skunk warned her children to keep very quiet 
when Mr. Bear came to doctor her, so she went to bed, feigning 
to be very ill while Mr. Skunk went after Dr. Bear and found 
him at home. The Doctor accompanied Mr. Skunk at once to 
the bedside of his wife and walking into the room began asking 
Mrs. Skunk about her illness and she replied in a very weak 
voice, pretending to feel very miserable and asked her children to 
go to one side of the room and be very quiet as she wanted Dr. 
Bear to examine her. The children went to one side of the room 
at once as they had been cautioned by their mother to keep very 
still, as she was going to throw musk in the Bear's face and 
blind him. The Bear began to get things ready to doctor Mrs. 
8kunk and as he was about ready to examine her the children 
became very anxious and restless, and began whispering to each 
other and indulging in a big tete-a-tete, about what a large dinner 
they were going to have when their mother killed the Bear. They 
kept whispering so much that the Bear became suspicious of their 
actions and listened closely and his sharp ears caught a few words 
of their conversation about what their mother was going to do. 
He began moving towards the door to make his exit, when the 
mother Skunk saw that he was about ready to get away and 
threw the musk with all her might at the Bears face but it 
missed his eyes and he escaped safely. Mrs. Skunk became very 
angry with her children who had spoiled her plans, by being over 
anxious and whispering too much. Instead of getting the bear 
meat as they had anticipated, they both received a good sound 
thrashing from their mother which taught them a lesson for the 
future. 



210 FAIRY TALES 



HOW THE ANIMALS CONQUERED THE MOON, 



^Lmy years a<>;() there was a total eclipse of the moon 
which lasted for several days and nights. The night continued 
so dark that the people and animals were not able to see to go 
aWont, so all the animals of the animal kingdom held a council 
and decided to devour the moon, as it had become a useless 
planet and would not give them light at night. The animals 
journeyed from the earth up to the moon and began a fierce 
battle to con(juei- and devour it and after a long struggle the 
moon lost its balance in the heavens and fell earthward. It struck 
the earth at Ca-neck on the Klamath River where the waters 
whirl and rush into fearful rapids. At the lower terminations of 
these rapids where there is a large round depression in the land, 
on the south and west side of the river, is the place where the 
moon is supposed to have struck the earth when the animals 
threw it down from the heavens. While the animals and snakes 
were wrestling with the moon at Ca-neck it was then the frog 
stepped forth and objected, saying that they should not devour 
the moon completely, as they would need it to light the world at 
night in the future. Listening to the frog's wise council they all 
agreed to allow him to restore the moon to its proper place. So 
the frog l:)egan at once to gather all the blood of the moon and 
fuse it together with its other remnants, and when he had com- 
pleted the task all the reptiles and animals rendered their assistance 
in trying to throw the moon back into the heavens so it would 
shine again. The great multitude of animals became exhausted 
in their mighty efforts as they could not even move it from its 
resting place on earth. They were all so tired that they were 
about ready to give it up in despair, when the little ant (hah-pooth) 
came forward and suggested that he was able to do it. The 
multitude roared with laughter at the ant and taunted him with 
j(,H-rs, saying: "you little hah-pooth, what can a little insignificant 
thing like you do with the great big moon?" However, the little 
ant saw the opportunity to show his power of great strength, even 



FAIRY TALES 211 

if he was little and rushed in among the crowd and made his 
way right under the moon, the moon began at once to raise from 
the earth, and with one mighty effort the little hah-pooth threw 
the moon back into the heavens where it has ever since remained. 
The Klamath Indians always remark when the moon is 
full, that the dark place on its face (known to the white man as 
the "man in the moon") is the frog in the moon. Whenever 
there is an eclipse of the moon in is said that a huge frog is 
trying to swallow the moon. 

THE ACORN. 

Many years ago several families were out camping in the 
Fall, in the last part of October or November gathering acorns 
for food. (When the families get all fixed up in there acorn 
camps all go forth to pick the acorns each day as they drop from 
the tree, using the large l)askets to put them in and carry to 
camp, in the evening when all have gathered at the camp house 
and the evening meal is over, all the family men, women and 
children take their places and commence taking the hulls off so 
as to get the meat or kernel out. This is done by the teeth and 
it is wonderful how expert we become at it, and it is seldom a 
kernel is mashed or bruised. These kernels are nearly always in 
halves, sometimes in three joieces and once in a great while there 
will 1)6 four pieces, and to find one that is divided into four 
pieces just as it grew in the shell is not a common occurance. 
There is on the inside of the outer shell a very thin skin that 
covers the kernel or meat of the acorn.) There was a young 
Indian girl out with her Imsket picking acorns, and as she went 
along with her basket picking up acorns she would as often as 
she could, place some in her mouth and crack the hull and take 
the kernel out and put it in the basket with the ones that were 
not hulled. As she was going along she happened to open one 
where the kernel was in four parts which at once became very 
amusing to her, so she set her basket down and on taking a look 
at it she took the outer hull off and made a neat little cradle 
out of it, then she took the inner skin part and made a nice set 
of baby clothes, after she did this she took the whole of the 
kernel and covered with the clothes and placed it in the cradle 



212 FAIRY TALES 

that she had made of tlie liull. After all was finished she looked 
at it and then put in tlie hollow of an oak tree and went on 
picking her acorns until time to go back to the camp house. 
When it came time for them all to return to their homes she had 
forgotten what she had done. One day while she was preparing 
some acorn flour she heai'd a noise behind her, some one saying 
mother, mothei'. and on looking behind her she beheld a little boy 
and as soon as she saw him she knew that he was formed from 
the acorn that sh{> had fixed and left in the hollow oak tree. She 
raised the Sa-(iuan or pestle in her hand and tried to catch the 
boy Init he ran from her and she followed after him and the race 
kept up until the boy got to the edge of the ocean, where there 
was a man in a l)oat, so the boy jumped into the l)oat, the man 
pushed the boat off and together they started out to sea, and 
had got well out when the girl arrived at the sea shore, she hurled 
the stone pestle at them and it fell into the sea and the top of 
it stuck up and is there to this day. 

Any Indian will tell his white brother this story as a true 
part to their religion, as calmly and seriously as if it was the 
truth and perhaps some of the lower class really believe it, yet 
it is only a fairy tale. 

This is the ro(*k that sits out in the ocean some eight or 
ten miles from the land, at the present time from Orick or the 
mouth of Redwood Creek. This rock the white man calls 
Redding Rock, the Klamath Indians call it Sa-quan-ow. The 
true facts concerning this rock are told in a preceeding chapter. 

THE BLUE .lAY. 

There was an old mother deer making nuish for her family's 
breakfast one morning and while she was cooking it she broke 
her leg and she then allowed the marrow from the bone to run 
into the mush as she stirred it. This made the nmsh very 
palatable and oily. The Blue .Jay who happened along at the 
time, watched the deer cooking the nuish and saw her break her 
leg and mix the marrow fat with the nuish and when the mush 
was cooked the Blue .Jay tasted it and found it very delicious. 
That day when the Blue Jay went home she decided she would 
miike her acorn nmsh in the same way, so after fixing her mush 
she broke her leg to get the marrow which she stirred into the 



FAIRY TALES 218 

niu.sh, but to her great disappointment the substance she took 
from her leg was not oil but blood and when she saw how bloody 
it made her mush and which spoiled it, she became very mad 
for being so simple, so she at once turned upon herself and plucked 
out all her tail feather and stuck them in the top of her head 
and ever after the Blue Jay has worn a top-knot of feathers on 
the head. 

THE MOURNFUL COO OF THE DOVE. 

The Dove (Ah-row-wee) since the deluge of the world 
has been considered by the Klamath Indians as the sacred bird. 
They carry the symbol of the dove in their ceremonial worship 
in the sacred lodge, and worship the bird as divine. Around this 
Httle bird is woven a pathetic tale of why he coos so much and 
always seems so sorrowful. 

Long ago a family of doves made their home and nesting 
place on a level bench of land, about half a mile up from the 
Pec-wan village on the north-east side. On this bench-like piece 
of land on the hill side stood a very large live oak tree and close 
by the vicinity of this tree is a small spring of water which 
gushes forth, the rest of the flat being covered with grasses. In 
a little sheltered cove of this flat the Doves would make their 
nests and rear their families. When the baby doves grew strong 
and large enough to fly they would all fly up into the live oak 
tree. There they would hide among the branches when danger 
was near and all the families would roost among the branches of 
the trees every night. At this time there was a handsome young 
male Dove who announced his intentions of taking a trip up the 
river to Weitchpec, and while visiting among friends went with 
shiftless companions who taught him how to play Indian cards, 
which are made of small sticks and called pair-cauk, and the 
game wah-choo The game became so fascinating that he spent 
the remainder of his time gambling and did not realize that he 
had left a sick grandmother at home and that she wished him 
to come back home at once. He was so deeply interested in the 
game that he did not take any heed of the message and continued 
to play cards. Later he received a message that his Grandmother 
was dead, but in the revelry of the game it seemed to him but 



214 FAIKY TALES 

folly and i)lay('(I on, not heeding the words of the messenger who 
kept repeating tlie wonls that his grandmother was dead until 
he succeeded in diverting the attention of the youthful gambler. 
The young gambler looked up sadly fron) his cards and said, 'T 
will now shuffle the cards again and again, yes, shuffle them 
again and again. My grandmother is dead, and to let the world 
know that 1 mourn her loss deeply, I will coo among the lone- 
some bushes the mournful coo of a broken heart, the piteous coo 
of a grief that knows no ending while I live." 

The beautiful moral of this story is to teach and im))i'ess 
upon the minds of the children that they should not diift into 
shiftless ways, neglecting to respect and cherish their grandmothers 
and to love them as dearly as their own mothers and even more 
in i-espect to old age. Indian mothers I'epeat the stoiy to their 
children and mourn as the doves, by repeating the words: Wee- 
poo-poo, wee-poo-poo-poo- poo, whee-whee-whee-poo-poo. Thus ill- 
ustrating that they might become very sad and nujurnful by not 
being kind and thoughtful to the aged, and making their simset 
years bright and cheerful. 

I could give enough of these Fairy Stories to make a book. 
All classes of my people, can on meeting his white brother sit 
down and tell him these Fairy tales, as a part of our religion, 
with a twinkle in his eye, and let him pass on. Some of our 
fairy stories are partly founded on truth and then cariied off 
into an imaginary sense, so as to make thcMu long. 



THE END. 



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